New Delhi: Former Prime Minister I K Gujral has said "trishul culture" was a bigger enemy than Pakistan and efforts should be made to protect the secular ethos of the country rather than succumbing to the "communal pressures".

Delivering "Fakhre Kashmir Memorial Lecture" in memory of Mirza Afzal Beg on May 4, he said, "At present, Pakistan is not our biggest enemy, it is trident (trishul) culture."

Gujral said Muslims living in several parts of the country had not joined hands with militants in Jammu and Kashmir although the latter claimed that a "jihad" was on.

"Moreover, none of the Indian Muslims was found fighting in Afghanistan where Muslim youths from different countries had come to help Taleban," he said, and added, "This is because minorities in this country are equally treated with the majority and the secular ethos of the country has always been accorded top priority."

However, he cautioned that "the trishul culture is capable of creating a sense of insecurity among the minorities and we could be a witness to a disaster".

Gujral also defended the autonomy plea of the National Conference saying that there was nothing wrong in asking for more powers within the ambit of the country's Constitution.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah welcomed the recent initiatives of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee for normalising ties with Pakistan.

"I was an advocate of crushing the terrorist camps but now I feel that we should now talk and ensure that peace is restored in the state," he said.

PTI