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Mulayam sceptical of Pak withdrawal

Former Defence Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav today said he does not believe Pakistani forces would withdraw from Kargil.

''Instead of depending on the promise of withdrawal, the Indian forces should take the initiative to teach the enemy a lesson for all times to come,'' he said while talking to reporters in New Delhi.

Without mentioning the United States, he also dismissed the idea of allowing any nation to mediate on the Kargil issue. The Indian army was strong enough to thwart any challenge, he said.

Yadav said the armed forces should continue their offensive till every inch of Indian land was freed from the intruders.

Asked whether the forces should cross the Line of Control, he said ''it should be left to the army to decide what action should be taken to drive away the intruders.''

He said it was ironical that the forces were fighting in their own territory. A shrewd political leadership would never let such a situation to arise, he added.

When asked if the intrusion showed an intelligence failure, Yadav said many such questions would have to be answered by the government.

Reiterating the demand for a Rajya Sabha session, he said the government was avoiding it to escape uncomfortable questions on the intrusion.

Reacting sharply to the reported attacks on Nadwa, a respected place of Islamic learning, by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad, he said communal feelings should be the last thing to be aroused ''in this hour of crisis.''

''Such things are ill-timed and the ruling parties should take care of it,'' he said.

UNI

The Kargil Crisis

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