Pak. Govt rejects PML charge on troop withdrawal

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, DEC. 26. The Pakistan Government has rejected the charge by the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) that its decision to partially withdraw forces from the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir meant acknowledgement of Indian supremacy.

An official spokesman argued that the decision has mounted pressure on the Indian Government to initiate the peace process for a solution to the Kashmir dispute.

In a press statement here, the PML Information Secretary, Mr. Mushahidullah Khan, criticised that the Army had accused the former Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif, of betraying the cause of Kashmiris by calling off the Kargil conflict and attempting to make peace with India.

``If a civil government initiates dialogue with India to solve contentious issues and brings an Indian Prime Minister to Pakistan without wasting a single bullet, it is betrayal and treachery. But if a military could not bring India to the table despite losing hundreds of troops and gunpowder worth billions of rupees and unilaterally withdraws troops from the border, then it is in the greater national interest''.

The PML demanded that the military regime define ``national interest''.

The Government spokesman has said that it was ironical that those who had compromised on the Kashmir issue for the sake of personal interests have now chosen to criticise a right step in the right direction.

Since the December 2 statement by the Pakistan Government declaring a unilateral ceasefire along the LoC, there has been no reaction from the mainstream political and religious parties in Pakistan. The PML statement is the first formal political reaction.

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Section  : International
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