Snap all ties with Pakistan, demands BJP

The BJP strongly advocated snapping of all ties with Pakistan on Sunday and asked that India recall their Indian envoy from there, accusing Islamabad of failure to initiate action against perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage and also to hand over wanted terrorists.

BJP's political resolution, moved by senior party leader Arun Jaitley at its National Council meeting here, said the party had demanded that all those responsible for the 26/11 attacks and also those who conspired and abetted the strikes must be handed over to India and face trial in the country.

India should severe all trade, transport, tourism and cultural ties with Pakistan and recall its High Commissioner from Islamabad as that country has failed to initiate action against the terrorists involved in the Mumbai strikes, it said adding that Pakistan has also failed to hand over the wanted fugitives.

Lashing out at the Congress-led UPA, the resolution alleged that its "soft approach" has made the country a soft target.

The country has become vulnerable during the UPA rule, it said, noting that the Mumbai attacks were planned with military precision under the guidance of Pakistani establishments and the ISI.

The BJP resolution said, "it was an attack on India's pride and at the same time exposed our sheer vulnerability. Greater co-ordination and timely initiative by a decisive political leadership would have prevented the loss of precious lives."

Attacking the UPA government, it said that during the last-four-and-half years it had rejected the need for strong anti-terror law in spite of repeated suggestions from the security agencies.

The repeal of POTA, even though constitutionally declared valid by the Supreme Court, was hailed as a triumph of secularism by the ruling coalition, it said.

The resolution said prime minister Manmohan Singh has committed a "colossal diplomatic blunder" by describing Pakistan as a victim of terror and proposing a joint mechanism for fighting terrorism.

The resolution referred to the Left parties withdrawing support to the UPA and said it was only now that the Congress has declared its intentions of not having any alliance at the national level.

"Even otherwise running a coalition has never been the virtue of the Congress. A coalition of opportunism can never ensure good governance and development," it said. 

"Now most of the UPA leaders from constituents have made their intentions clear of contending for the Prime Ministerial post and there seems to be a fierce competition among leaders of UPA," the BJP political resolution said.

"The country is entitled to know, who is the Prime Ministerial candidate of the UPA. Further a hostile war is presently going on between various alliance partners and supporters of UPA themselves.

"Its DMK vs PMK, SP vs Congress, Laloo Prasad vs Ram Vilas Paswan (RJD vs LJP). The growing ambition of Sharad Pawar-led NCP will increase and may expand to overtake Congress. These are the glaring symptoms of the coalition which is unstable and unworthy," it said.

The resolution said that the Left parties were again entertaining an "illusion" of a third front not realising that its relevance had gone a long back.

The resolution also flayed the UPA for the handling of the Bangladeshi migrants saying the home minister has only expressed concern over the infiltrators but strong and effective action has not been taken to contain the situation.

The party has demanded that all illegal Bangladeshi immigrants must be identified and deported in a time-bound schedule.