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No compromises on security: Advani

Savera Someshwar in Leh

Addressing the Indo-Tibetan Border Police at their base camp in Leh on Thursday, Union Home Minister L K Advani made it clear that while India would make no comprises on security, it would not hesitate in extending the hand of friendship wherever necessary.

He said this in direct reference to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's recent invitation for talks to Pakistan's military ruler General Pervez Musharraf. "The leader of our neighbouring nation will visit here soon and we will talk and, through those talks, we will progress," he added.

However, he made it clear that any move towards friendship must not be mistaken for a sign of weakness. Using a Sanskrit quote to underline this, he said India would be both strong as a diamond and tender as a flower.

He lauded the ITBP's incredible performance under hostile climatic conditions and promised that this year, which he said should be dedicated to the jawans, would be used to redress their problems. "To look after the border and to fight the enemy is difficult as it is. What makes your contribution even more laudable is the kind of climate you have to work in," he said.

Accepting ITBP Director General S C Chaube's list of problems faced by the jawans at the 27 border posts, Advani said every effort would be made to redress them.

"You need small things, like increasing the frequency of helicopter service. I have also learnt that you are dissatisfied with the reception of TV programmes here. We will try and install additional generator sets and dish antennas to solve the problem. These are small conveniences that you need. We will think about all your problems and do something about them. These are the kind of problems that can be easily solved."

Later in the evening, Minister of Tourism and Culture Ananth Kumar addressed the press about Friday's Sindhu Darshan festival. He said the Centre has allotted Rs 30 million for setting up a Sindhu Cultural Centre in Leh.

Rs 9.8 million, he said, have been invested in building the Sindhu Ghat. "You have to remember that we had a window of just three months -- June15 to September 15 -- to build the Ghat. For the rest of the year, it is so cold here that the mortar will not set."

Kumar looked unhappy when the chairman of the Ladakh Hill Council Thupstam Chhwwang was questioned about the region's demand for autonomy. He requested the media to focus on how the Sindhu Darshan festival would enhance tourism in the area. "Local problems," he said, "will always be there."

Chhewwang, however, did not mince words. He stated that Ladakh had been treated like a step-child since Independence. "When one talks of Jammu and Kashmir, one only thinks of the Kashmir valley. It dominates the other two regions of the state -- Jammu and Ladakh," he said.

The militancy in Kashmir too has affected tourism in Ladakh, he said. "This is why autonomy status is important to us. We have been forced to demand separation from Kashmir and a Union territory status."

He said he was not satisfied with the efforts of the tourism ministry in promoting Ladakh. "There is a lot more they can do."

For one, he hopes that access to Leh would be made easier. "It will help us if the Civil Aviation Ministry publishes the schedule of its Leh flights in December instead of April, as it does now. This does not give the tourists much time to plan their itinerary."

Jet Airways, he said, is also planning regular flights to the region. The inaugural flight is scheduled for June 15.

Tomorrow, though, all these issues will be put on the backburner when Advani inaugurates the Sindhu Darshan festival. Other invitees who are expected to grace the function include Jammu and Kashmir Governor G C Saxena, Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Chaman Lal Gupta, Minister of State for Railways O Rajagopal and Minister of State for Petroleum Santosh Gangwar.

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