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Terror link backfiring in Pakistan: George Fernandes
"Those who start terrorism can end up facing it themselves," Defence Minister Fernandes said, referring to assassination bids on Musharraf.
The recent assassination bids on President Pervez Musharraf only prove Pakistan's links with terrorism, India said on Saturday.
"We have been publicly telling Pakistan that those who start terrorism can end up facing it themselves. Now look what has happened," Defence Minister George Fernandes said in Pokhran.
Musharraf has faced two assassination bids in the last two weeks, and escaped both narrowly.
Addressing the jawans of the 34 armoured brigade manning Indo-Pak border, Fernandes said that while facing the onslaught of Pak-sponsored terrorism, India had always maintained that terrorists did not have any caste, religion, nation or state.
"A terrorist is just a terrorist. He only knows how to spread violence, we told Pakistan. However, they did not listen to us", he said.
Now the same terrorists had made attempts to kill Pakistan President and that too near the country's capital, Islamabad, he said.
"Not once, not twice but thrice in the last few days they have made attempts to finish him off", he said.
Fernandes attributed the latest ceasefire at Pakistan's initiative as a consequence of the hardwork put in by the Indian soldiers.
"It is because of your contribution of successfully manning the border that Pakistan initiated the ceasefire", he said.
Though the guns have now fallen silent and shelling stopped, there is no significant reduction in infiltration, he said, adding Pakistan is still providing money, training and weapons to terrorists to spread violence.
Nonetheless with the ceasefire continuing to hold for the past one month there are reasons to be optimistic about the outcome of the SAARC summit in Islamabad next week, Fernandes said and hoped that the new year would mark a new beginning towards peace.
However, it is very difficult to predict the outcome of the summit, "only time will tell", he said, adding despite positive indications if one recalls the past since 1947, several questions come to mind.
The Defence Minister also distributed Christmas cakes to the soldiers.
