India creating 'war hysteria': Pak.

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, MAY 8. Pakistan today accused India of creating a ``war hysteria'' through blatant display of its force in the form of war games close to the border, but at the same time maintained that it would not be impressed by such actions.

The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman told a news conference in response to a question that Pakistan was capable of deterring any aggression. ``Pakistan has developed nuclear capability to deter aggression that is for our security''.

The main complaint of the military establishment in Islamabad is that the war games being staged by India were not in conformity with the agreement between the two countries that required advance notification of at least 60 days.

The spokesman said while the intimation given by the Indian military to its counterpart in Pakistan had talked about participation of two divisions in the exercises, the announcement made in New Delhi on April 30 had clearly mentioned about involvement at the Corps level. ``Any Corps level involvement in military exercises requires 60 days' notice,'' the spokesman said.

However, a senior diplomat of the Indian High Commission maintained that the exercises being undertaken by the Indian military do not come under the parameters of the 1991 agreement. ``Still, the Indian Government, through the military channels had intimated Pakistan about the exercises as part of the confidence building measures. We fail to understand why this issue is being raised again and again.''

India and Pakistan have been engaged in a war of words over the exercises for the last one week. On May 2, Pakistan maintained that it had not received any notice from India about the exercise by a corps-level force of the Indian Army in early

May. The Pakistan Foreign Office said the statement made by a spokesman of the Indian Defence Ministry about advance notice to Islamabad was not correct.

``This exercise is to take place in mid-May, whereas the Corps- level exercise announced on 30 April will be in early May,'' the statement said while pointing out that under an agreement between the two countries, 60 days' advance notice should be given on such exercises.

The statement said the Indian Government's announcement of April 30 does not state where the Corps-level exercises will be held and whether they will be in an area for which advance notice is mandatory under the above agreement. ``The Government of Pakistan is therefore watching the situation closely.''

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Section  : International
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