The session had a bizarre finish following the fidayeen strike on the Assembly complex in which 38 persons were killed on Monday. Amid resentment among the Assembly secretariat employees over the insistence of the government on holding the sitting today, no business was transacted in the two Houses. Today’s brief sitting was confined to paying tributes to those who were killed during the attack on the Assembly complex on Monday.

The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, broke down twice while tears trickled down his eyes. Sobbing over the continued dance of death and destruction the Chief Minister called for war against Pakistan.

He said India should destroy the arms training and terrorist camps across the border and force a change in the Government in Pakistan. He said: “India’s patience has been tested and there is no room for waiting and watching the situation.”

“Isn’t 12 years sufficient for us to strike back? Should we wait and get perished?” he asked.

He said just one strike against key targets in the USA woke up the American Government to wage a war against global terrorism. He wanted the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to “face the fury of fidayeens with full might.”

The Chief Minister suggested to the US Government to initiate measures which would lead to the removal of the army government in Pakistan on the pattern it was planning to remove the Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

He said Mr Vajpayee should understand that Pakistan wanted to convert Kashmir into another Afghanistan and the terrorist strike on the Assembly complex and on other camps and pickets of the security forces were part of the plan.

“We are caught between two nations, one perpetrating terrorism and another adopting a wait-and-watch policy without taking any action,” he said and explained that while Pakistan was fomenting turmoil in Kashmir, the Government of India did not want to retaliate.

Several MLAs, including those belonging to the BJP, the National Conference, the CPM and the Congress supported the sentiments expressed by the Chief Minister while condemning the activities of the terrorists.

Among those who berated Pakistan’s encouragement to the terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir included Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, Ch Piara Singh, Mr M.Y. Tarigami.

On its arrival here, the team first visited the Assembly complex where Mr Advani, accompanied by the Union Minister of State for Home, Mr Vidyasagar, Home Secretary, Mr Kamal Pande and Special Secretary, Home, Mr Ashok Bhandari, examined the blast site and the damaged portion of the Legislative Council complex.

The Central team had a detailed discussion on the security system and the measures required for foiling the Pak gameplan of destabilising peace in Jammu and Kashmir with senior state government functionaries and Army commanders and senior officers of the police and paramilitary forces at the meeting of the Unified Headquarters.

The Governor, Mr G.C. Saxena, and the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, were also present at the meeting. The Chief Minister is said to have set the pace for discussion when he suggested to the Home Minister to go in for an open strike on the terrorist camps across the border.

Dr Abdullah did not want the Indian authorities to sit silent and keep on watching Pakistan-aided militants to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir and indulge in hit and run tactics. He also pleaded for better management of the LoC to put an end to infiltration. Dr Abdullah’s view was shared by senior police and BSF officers who also said that since the rate of infiltration was higher than the rate of elimination of militants within the state, the militancy related violence might not see an early end.

Mr Advani, while recommending coordinated efforts and intelligence sharing among different security and intelligence agencies, stated that fighting a war against terrorism had global implications. This was particularly so after the US Government got involved in the fight against terrorism.

The Home Minister and his team spent more time in receiving a feedback from the heads of different security and intelligence agencies. He was informed that as a result of sustained operations against the militants, the rebels had avoided entering into direct encounter with the security forces. He was told that even the incidence of infiltration had come down during the past three months and the level of ingress had increased.

Mr Advani was informed that during the past three months, the rate of elimination of militants in the state had touched a new high. It was out of desperation that the militants had embarked on suicide attacks.

The Home Minister praised the role the security forces were playing in blunting the offensive launched by the militants. He called for enhanced vigil within the state and on the Indo-Pak border to keep the militants on the run.

Mr Advani and his team had a 90-minute interaction with the members of the Legislative Assembly and the Council at Shere-Kashmir International Convention Centre. The Chief Minister once again asked Mr Advani, “How long will you tolerate Pak-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir?”

In reply to the question, Mr Advani informed the members of the two Houses that Monday’s fidayeen attack on the Assembly complex would be a turning point “in our war against terrorism.”

He explained in detail what the Indian side had told Gen Pervez Musharraf during the Agra summit and this included India’s insistence on an end to cross-border terrorism for ensuring a bilateral dialogue to reducing tension and promote friendly relations between New Delhi and Islamabad. He said New Delhi had taken a clear stand on the problem of terrorism while holding talks with the US leaders.

Mr Advani expressed his surprise over the way the US Government had been ignoring New Delhi’s warning about terrorism assuming global ramifications. He said the US Government had announced its pledge to capture Osama bin Laden dead or alive even though he had pleaded innocence about the September 11 terrorist strikes in the USA. And there was no action when outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammad claim responsibility for terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Abdul Ahad Vakil, said it was unfortunate that the Government of India continued to treat us with suspicion when “we have been facing the brunt of terrorism.”

Mr Vakil suggested to Mr Advani that the National Conference government should receive full political and economic backing from the Centre during the ongoing fight against terrorism. He wanted the Central Government not to repeat the mistakes committed in the past by dislodging duly elected governments in the state.

Talking to reporters after a marathon meeting of the unified headquarters, Mr Advani disagreed with those who, he said, had started treating the war against terrorism as a war between Christainity and Islam.

Referring to the recent statement of the Italian Prime Minister, Mr Advani told newsmen here this evening that the war against global terrorism was not a battle against Islam. “It was a battle against terrorists and between the fanatics and secular and democratic forces,” he said.

Mr Advani urged Pakistan to handover the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad, Maulana Masood Azhar, to India because his outfit had claimed responsibility for the terrorist strike on the Legislature complex here on Monday. This was in line with the USA’s demand for Osama bin Laden, he said.

He said Pakistan was bent upon avenging Kashmiris’ decision in 1947 to accede to India by kicking up subversive violence. He made it clear that Islamabad would not be able to take even an inch of Kashmir through such armed strikes.