Phagwara: Former Army Chief General V P Malik on March 3 said the country cannot afford flash points like Ayodhya and Gujarat and would have to create a "must win" atmosphere for defeating the enemy across the border and curbing cross-border terrorism.

"How can we fight war against the external enemy if we keep on fighting internally. National security is far too important a subject and we all must first be together as a nation for creating conditions of winning a war," Malik said delivering the keynote address at a conference on "Terrorism: A challenge to India".

"Ayodhya and Gujarat incidents have brought shame to us in the world, weakened our case and image and did injustice to secularism," he said.

Referring to the build-up along the border with Pakistan, Malik said it had sent the right message to the neighbouring country that enough was enough and thwarted its design to push fleeing Afghanistan terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir.

"It has been my considered opinion that proxy war by Pakistan can very easily lead us into a conventional war," the former Army chief said, adding "the Pakistan mind set is that India is weak and its Army tired".

Tighten intelligence and security so that sudden flare-ups like the one in Gujarat are avoided, he stressed.

"Don’t jump into war. Clear the objectives, equip the Army adequately, stand behind it as a whole nation and create atmosphere for achieving victory in war," Malik said.

PTI