The Hindu : Situation unchanged, says Musharraf

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 06, 2002

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Situation unchanged, says Musharraf

ISLAMABAD JUNE 5. The situation in South Asia remains unchanged even after Almaty, the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, said on his return from the Kazakh capital after attending the first 16-nation Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building in Asia (CICA).

``I think the situation remains unchanged. Whatever tension was there remains as it was,'' Gen. Musharraf told CNN, referring to the Indo-Pak. standoff, last night. Asked about the diplomatic failure at the summit, he said ``we were hoping that it (tension) will be defused. But, I do not think it will escalate further.''

On curbing cross-border infiltration, Gen. Musharraf said ``of course, at the moment the whole (Indian) Army is deployed everywhere and therefore it is easier to ensure this. At the same time, the blame for whatever happens in Jammu and Kashmir should not be put on Pakistan as there is a freedom movement going on there. The unfortunate part is whatever happens there, they accuse Pakistan of patronising it.''

To a question on the extent of domestic pressure on him, Gen. Musharraf said: ``It is not a matter of losing. One has to be practical. Pakistan has its honour and dignity to guard. We are for peace. But in preventing war, we cannot compromise on our honour and dignity... the bottomline is our honour and dignity." The public in Pakistan did not want a war. ``But no one in Pakistan will say that do not go to war and compromise your honour and dignity.''

Because of conventional deterrence, ``there will be no situation where resort(ing) to nuclear option could ever be contemplated,'' Gen. Musharraf said.

``We do not think of these things, because I consider it unthinkable, that ever a moment will come when we have to launch nuclear attacks. And therefore, I do not really discuss it with anyone.''

Why did Pakistan not opt for a no-first strike policy? It had offered much deeper agreement, the General said.

``Let us de-nuclearise South Asia that will really eliminate the scourge or even the thought of using it.'' Pakistan was also ready to sign a ``no-war" pact with India.

The official Associated Press of Pakistan quoted the Pakistan President as saying that the world community was disappointed over the failure of its efforts to put India and Pakistan on the negotiating table.

``The reality of the tension between India and Pakistan is that India is continually threatening Pakistan with an attack and also refusing a dialogue.''

The Pakistani ambassador to the United States, Maleeha Lodhi, described the failure at Almaty as ``a missed opportunity'' to defuse the dangerous border tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations. — PTI

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