AHMEDABAD, Aug 10: Former chief minister Chhabildas Mehta has alleged that the Vajpayee Government deliberately suppressed reports about infiltration in Kargil sector so that it could promote the Lahore bus trip without any opposition.Holding the `weak' Vajpayee Government responsible for the intrusion, Mehta said senior Army officials had informed the Vajpayee Government about the Pakistani threat in the area. However, these warnings were ignored despite the fact that intensified patrolling in the area was advised, Mehta alleged, adding that repeated Army requests for increasing surveillance not only went unheeded but teams patrolling in the hills were recalled.
``It was an astonishing instruction. Instead of sending more aid to the teams, those already stationed were asked to return,'' Mehta said. He has stated that instead of investigating into the intelligence failure in Kargil, the probe should go into the role of senior politicians who did not take any pre-emptive steps though they were aware of the situation, he said.
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