PM says ceasefire will be extended till R-Day

By Harish Khare

NEW DELHI, DEC. 20. The Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, today announced the Government's decision to extend the current ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir, beyond the Ramadhan, for a month, till the Republic Day, 2001. He announced his Government's decision to ``initiate such exploratory steps as are considered necessary'' for a ``composite dialogue process'' with Pakistan.

In a statement, made in the two Houses of Parliament, he noted that the Government would review the position after January 26 next year. However, before the statement was made, the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha had readily agreed to forgo its right to seek clarifications from the Government. In fact, the Congress chief whip, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, declared, ``we want to give a clear message that we are all united on the need to bring peace to Kashmir.''

Mr. Vajpayee explained the considerations that went into extending the ``no initiation of combat operations'' period. Admitting ``our continuing concerns'' over certain aspects, he observed that ``the constituency for peace (in the troubled State) has expanded significantly'' since the November 19 ceasefire announcement. The Prime Minister noted, with satisfaction, that the citizens, political parties, and other organisations had welcomed the ceasefire, and that ``a distinctly different and a more optimistic mood now prevails in that State.''

According to Mr. Vajpayee, despite the fact that organisations such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Harkat-ul- Mujahideen continue to play their terroristic games, there ``has been a decline in incidents of terrorist violence in that State.'' He promised uncompromising fight against challenges from these and other organisations.

Without assigning Pakistan either blame or praise, the Prime Minister observed that ``there has been a recognisable decline, too, in attempts at cross-Line of Control and cross- International Border infiltration of terrorists.'' But, this, he noted, ``must cease entirely''. Nonetheless, the Prime Minister indirectly acknowledged Pakistan's restraint by noting that ``along the Line of Control, we have witnessed a marked improvement in incidents of exchange of fire. Relative peace has prevailed all along the Line of Control, ever since my announcement of 19 November, barring some incidents in the early stages.'' Since the Rajya Sabha cheerfully waved away its privilege of seeking clarifications, no elaborations were available of the nature of ``exploratory steps'' the Government considered necessary towards resuming dialogue with Pakistan. However, the Prime Minister did note that ``the existence of a suitable environment for such a process is self-evidently necessary.'' Also, he added that the exploration would be part of the larger framework of the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration.

Militants warned

The Prime Minister's statement contains a warning to intractable militant groups. ``Whereas we will continue to exercise maximum restraint in face of grave provocations, national interest will never be compromised,'' warned Mr. Vajpayee.

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