NEW DELHI, May 27: Indian Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani, number two in the cabinet after the prime minister, said on Monday it was time for India to come up with a different way to fight the “proxy war” with Pakistan.

He said India had given enough time to Pakistan to act on its demand to hand over 20 guerillas and “criminals” New Delhi has identified as having taken refuge in Pakistan.

India is being subjected to an undeclared war by Pakistan, he alleged. “The war has been declared by Pakistan and terrorists. Now the question is whether we should fight it the way we have been fighting or adopt a different way,” he said, at a public function.

“The time has come to adopt another way to fight the war.”

Advani said India could regard the “cross-border terrorism” as an act of war since US President George Bush publicly stated “terrorists have declared war on America” after the Sept 11 attacks. Advani said the country should be prepared because a “decisive phase” had started in the fight against “cross-border terrorism”.—AFP