— Photo: AP

SHOWING CONCERN: BJP leader L.K. Advani talks to a person who was injured in a grenade blast, at a hospital in Jammu on Sunday. — Photo: AP

Jammu: The former Deputy Prime Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader, L.K. Advani on Sunday said the sudden spate of terrorist activities in the country was due to the incoherent policy of the United Progressive Alliance Government towards terrorism. He took the Centre to task for scrapping the anti-terror laws.

Talking to reporters here after visiting Doda district, where a BJP rally was attacked on Saturday, Mr. Advani said: "It is ironical that when there is a consensus all over the world to fight terrorism with full might, in our country the Government of the day does not have a policy towards terrorism. It has simply given a message that it does not have the will to fight terror."

"The Central Government does not have any anti-terrorism law whereas all over the world there are special laws to fight terror. The first thing the present UPA Government did was to scrap anti-terror law i.e. Prevention of Terrorism Act, whereas it failed to bring a creditable piece of legislation for fighting terror."

On Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Advani said: "The present killings in Doda and Udhampur have demonstrated a unique character of militancy and the consequences need to be fully understood. This is a sinister design and the Centre as well as State Government need to be aware of the challenges ahead."

Attacking the political parties for demanding demilitarisation and reduction of troops, Mr. Advani said, "We fail to understand the logic of the demands like demilitarisation and reduction of troops in the present context when militant attacks are still continuing."

Two-pronged strategy

He said the UPA Government's policy towards Pakistan was based on a two-pronged strategy. "The first policy was to normalise relations with Pakistan and the second was no compromise on cross-border terrorism was possible.

In Agra, when Pakistan did not accept our point on terrorism we also refused to budge and did not sign an agreement. We are in favour of peace process between the two countries as we had initiated it but there can not be any compromise on terrorism."

Earlier Mr. Advani visited Batote town of Doda district, where a BJP worker who was killed in Saturday's militant attack was cremated. Two persons were killed and 41 injured in a grenade attack by militants on a BJP rally march in Doda.

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