By IANS,
Ghaziabad : The UN should take immediate control of Islamabad’s nuclear facilities as Pakistan was a failed state and had become a terrorist hub, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Raj Nath Singh said here Thursday.
Addressing a press conference here, he also reiterated that the party would project senior BJP leader L.K. Advani as its prime ministerial candidate during the campaign for the April-May general elections.
The de-activation or re-activation of Pakistan’s nuclear facilities was an issue that could be taken up at a later stage, Singh maintained.
According to Singh, Islamabad’s nuclear facilities were a threat not only to India but to the entire world as the country’s nuclear weapon could fall into the hands of terrorists outfits through the Taliban or Al Qaeda which were running a parallel government in eight districts of Pakistan’s turbulent northwest, including Swat, from where the Indian border was a five-hour drive.
Accusing Pakistan of surrendering before the Taliban by agreeing to the imposition of Shariat laws in eight districts of the country’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP), the BJP chief apprehended that with their growing influence, the hardliners could grab power in Islamabad.
If the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) comes to power after the general elections, it will take up the issue of terrorism as a challenge, Singh said, lamenting that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had not made adequate diplomatic efforts in international fora to rein in Pakistan.
Pointing to what he termed the utter failure of the UPA government on the economic front, Singh said it had not initiated any steps to curb the economic recession. He also apprehended that by April industries across the country would retrench at least 10 million people.
Speaking about the credibility crisis in Indian politics, he attributed this to the false promises made during election campaigns, adding that deeds must match words as this was important for a healthy democracy.
Speaking for the farmers, he said those in the Ghaziabad region had been unfairly compensated for the land that had been acquired from them by the local development authority. Calling for the total review of the land acquisition policy, he said the acquisition should only be with the farmers’ consent.
Speaking about the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, Singh, a former state chief minister, termed it anarchic, with lack of power, water and a social security net.