The Hindu : Promises alone will not help, says Cong.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 28, 2002

National

National

Promises alone will not help, says Cong.

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MAY 27. Ahead of the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf's much-awaited televised address, the Congress asked the world community to bring "real" pressure on Pakistan to deliver on its promises.

"Promises alone will not help, Pakistan must deliver and the world leaders must ensure that,'' the party spokesperson, Jaipal Reddy, said.

Gen. Musharraf's speech would have no meaning unless it was backed by action.

"He must clamp down on cross-border terrorism and hand over the 20 terrorists wanted by India,'' Mr. Reddy said.

Unless he delivered on these two issues, his speech tonight would serve no purpose — on January 12 also, Gen. Musharraf had made a lot of promises but had delivered little.

"So long as the signal on these issues are unambiguously cleared, his speech tonight will not serve any purpose.''

Indian diplomacy had not achieved any result in this regard and "we cannot say anything about the future.''

He was critical of the Prime Minister's statement from Manali in which he had regretted that India had not retaliated after the December 13 attack on Parliament.

"What is the point of this academic theorizing, he is merely taking recourse to it to cover up for the lack of a well-considered policy."

In another development, the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, today flagged off 30 truckloads of wheat for the displaced people of Jammu and Kashmir living in several camps in Jammu.

Among those present on the occasion were the AICC general secretary, Mukul Wasnik, the secretary, Dalbir Singh, Sushila Tiriya and the Youth Congress president, Randeep Surjewal.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National