Terror and trade can’t go together: Capt Amarinder

CHANDIGARH, December 22: Former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today said that terror and trade cannot go together and there was no point in starting business and trade with Pakistan as long as it did not stop funding terror and killing our soldiers along the borders.

In an informal interaction with reporters here today, Capt Amarinder presented a grim security scenario in Punjab with perennial threat to peace from Pakistan, saying sleeper cells of various terror groups were active and using the help and support of the Inter Services Intelligence to foment trouble in Punjab.

The former Chief Minister gave elaborate details about the huge cache of arms and ammunition that Pakistan has managed to infiltrate into this part of the border. “This is just a part that came to the notice of our security forces and imagine what must have skipped their notice”, he pointed out, while wondering as to why the Punjab government was in continuous denial mode on the security issue.

Referring to recent attempts at sacrilege in Darbar Sahib, Capt Amarinder said, these have a potential to polarize people along religious lines, which can lead to unrest and trouble in the state. He said, the foreign agencies like the ISI in coordination with the sleeper cells of various secessionist and terrorist groups were active and were desperately waiting for an opportunity to exploit such situation and strike.

He said, in the changed security scenario in South Asia, with China and Pakistan having come together, almost becoming “one country”, India will need to be more alert and vigilant. Given the geographical position of Punjab, the state faced more security challenges now, he added.

Capt Amarinder disclosed that China had invested $29 billion in Pakistan. He said it had built huge infrastructure by making highways and tunnels that will take Chinese goods directly to Gawadar port, which provides Chinese access to Central Asia. He said, with Afghanistan in dire need of financial help and China ready to give it, India will have another problem from the hostile Taliban, who can be used by the Chinese to infiltrate into India.

The former Chief Minister, who has an expertise in security and strategic affairs, said, India needs to build up a more sophisticated missile system to shoot down the drones. He said, the efficiency of drones, both in terms of covering the distance and carrying the load, was being enhanced which is a potential threat for the country as it provides more options for Pakistan to smuggle in drugs and weapons into the country.