The Hindu : `I took a firm stand on Kashmir'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 13, 2002

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International

`I took a firm stand on Kashmir'

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD APRIL 12. The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, today shed his military fatigues and attired himself as a typical politician to address his first referendum election rally at Quetta, capital of Baluchistan Province.

Unlike his referendum launch address at Lahore, where he devoted most of his energies in attacking the former Prime Ministers, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, accusing them of a "sell out" to India on Kashmir, his 25-minute speech (telecast live by Pakistan Television) at the local stadium focussed on the achievements of his regime in the last two-and-half years.

Gen. Musharraf's decision to address the rally at Lahore on Wednesday in military uniform provoked strong reaction from parties and the civil society here. The media was particularly harsh on him and pointed out that it could send wrong signals within and outside the country.

At today's rally, he did make a reference to Kashmir but only in the context of his summit meet with the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, at Agra in July last. "There were apprehensions in some quarters that I would compromise on the Kashmir cause. I took a firm and principled stand. I don't believe in deals'', he told the gathering.

In the context of the growing criticism within and outside Pakistan on the legal validity of the referendum, Gen. Musharraf said: "what can be more democratic and constitutional than me directly going to the people and asking for their votes''. He asserted that the referendum was constitutional.

Like Lahore, the Quetta meeting was a Government show. Besides the Governor of Baluchistan, the Nazim (equivalent of a zilla parishad head) of Quetta shared the dais with Gen. Musharraf. Describing the rally as "historic", the Nazim said every citizen of Quetta would vote in favour of Gen. Musharraf.

Meanwhile, the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), the 15-party alliance opposed to the referendum, announced its plans to hold a public meeting on April 27 in Lahore at the same venue where Gen. Musharraf launched his campaign.

The alliance said it would hold rallies and meetings wherever Gen. Musharraf went as part of his referendum campaign. But it is not clear whether the ARD had secured the permission of the authorities to hold such meetings. The ARD had made an unsuccessful bid twice in the last two years to hold a rally at Lahore to coincide with Pakistan Day.

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`I took a firm stand on Kashmir'