NEW DELHI, May 23 (IslamOnline): On his second day in Kashmir, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said Wednesday, May 22, that a “decisive stage had been reached in the struggle against cross-border terrorism.” In what has been interpreted as an indirect declaration of war, Vajpayee said that the Indian army “must be ready for sacrifices in order to achieve a clear victory.”

Vajpayee had arrived in the valley Wednesday to empty streets. Normal life was totally paralyzed throughout Kashmir valley following a general strike called by the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) to protest the visit. The strike was co-sponsored by Kashmir Lawyers Association and other outfits.

Speaking to soldiers on the Line of Control (LoC), Vajpayee stressed that the national goal of development was being subverted by the proxy war being forced on the country.

“Our neighbors have found a new way of fighting. They don't fight face to face. After Kargil, they are waging a proxy war. Mercenaries are paid and fed with dreams of sacrifice. But they don't fight a battle, they just kill innocent people,” Vajpayee said.

“We must be prepared for sacrifices. Our goal is victory. The world understands that injustice is being done to us. The world opinion is on our side, but they are not saying so openly. We will have to defend ourselves on our own and we are prepared for this,” he added.

Attacking Pakistan, Vajpayee also said that the country had suffered terrorism for the last 54 years but the enemy had been defeated each time. “Don’t extend our limit of tolerance,” he said.

Stating that Kargil was fresh in the nation's memory, Vajpayee went on to say: “We thought that repeated defeats may have led them to the right path, but when we were talking of peace, of abandoning enmity and living like good neighbors, they surreptitiously attacked us from the snow-clad mountains. However, the way our troops evicted them from every inch of the land was appreciated the world over. They were not even able to take back the bodies of their dead.”

Congress president and leader of opposition Sonia Gandhi urged the government Wednesday to keep diplomatic options open. Congress has supported the government in its face off with Pakistan but has refrained from openly supporting the war option.

As Vajpayee spoke on the LoC, India took another step closer to war. Five frontline warships of the Eastern Naval Fleet joined the western naval warships to bolster naval presence in the Arabian Sea. “The warships have been moved in view of the prevailing situation and to take on challenges on the seas in keeping with India's maritime interests,” a defense ministry spokesman said.

The warships which have moved to join the Western Naval Fleet include the lethal Kashin class missile destroyer, a missile-armed multi-purpose frigate and three missile corvettes, sources said.

Pakistan, on the other hand, said Wednesday it was prepared to defend itself against any Indian attack, but called for negotiations and vowed to maintain a crackdown on terrorism. A statement issued after Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf met with a joint session of the national security council and the cabinet said “no organization in Pakistan will be allowed to indulge in terrorism in the name of Kashmir.”

It added, however, that Pakistan would continue to extend “moral, political and diplomatic support to the legitimate struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the realization of their right to self-determination.”