"Morale Of The Troops Is High"

Do you see a resurgence of militancy in Punjab?

There is no room for complacency. It is true that by the middle of1993, we had broken the backs of the four major terrorist outfits. But after not findingrecruits in Punjab, they looked outwards. Around 10,000 boys from various foreigncountries were trained, their mission being to destabilise the country.

Also, it is no longer just a Punjab problem. Their area of operation iswider and so are the linkages. They are active in several states and have tied up withother outfits, in J&K, for example. The idea is to hit the Indian economy as a wholethrough sabotage.

Attacking the police is a peace-time luxury. But let us keep in mindthat it is the security personnel who suffered most as a result of terrorism. In 1990, aquarter of the people who died in terrorist attacks were security personnel. As a resultof these sacrifices, Punjab is now the most peaceful state in the country. There may besome bad apples, but only a very few.

Yes, there is concern among the police over these things. They feelthat there is a certain lack of gratitude for all the sacrifices they have made. But thereis no cause for them to fear. Overall, the morale of the troops is high and the chiefminister has said that there will be no compromise in the fight against terrorism.

We have been through the holocaust. We lost 20,000 people to terrorism,more than in any war. Under no circumstances do people want to return to what they haveseen.