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Asked by reporters in Varanasi about J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah's suggestion that the drive against militants be stepped up, Vajpayee said his government would not shy away from intensifying security forces' operations against them.
The Centre would take appropriate decisions after due deliberations and wide-ranging consultations, which are already on, the prime minister said before leaving for Ballia for the centenary celebrations of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan.
Vajpayee said India would never back out of the fight against terrorism, which affected it directly. However, he cautioned that terrorism should not be linked to Islam.
Some Muslim countries were trying to treat terrorism as a holy war and not supporting the current action against it. But they hardly realise that if the menace grows, sooner or later they too would be at the receiving end, he said.
"Terrorism is a mindset which is anti-human and can manifest itself in any country and at any time," the prime minister added.
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