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India hints at giving more time to Pakistan
By C. Raja Mohan
KATHMANDU, JAN. 3. As the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, arrived here to attend the summit of the South Asian leaders beginning tomorrow, India appeared to open a wee bit of diplomatic space for the de- escalation of the current tensions with Pakistan.
Amidst worldwide hopes for an Indo-Pak engagement in Kathmandu, the External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh, signalled India's willingness to give more time to the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, to dismantle the infrastructure for terrorism, while demanding immediate action to prove his sincerity.
Addressing a crowded press conference on the eve of the summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, Mr. Singh said, ``India understands it will take a little time for Pakistan to address itself to its internal difficulties and dismantle all the edifices of terrorism that they have permitted or constructed over the last two decades.''
While giving Gen. Musharraf some breathing room to comply with the demand for eliminating terrorism from its soil, Mr. Singh laid down two specific actions that Pakistan could take immediately as it continues to work on demolishing the structures of terrorism.
Mr. Singh said ``it is our expectation that a more purposeful and forthright declaration against terrorism'' would come from Pakistan. ``We certainly expect action by Pakistan on the list we have given of proven terrorists, criminals and narcotics traffickers,'' he added.
If Gen. Musharraf can address these two demands at once, it is not inconceivable that a political dialogue between the two nations could begin here at Kathmandu. The prospect for talks, India appears to be saying, depends on the response of Gen. Musharraf.
On the likelihood of a dialogue either at a ministerial level or between the Prime Minister, A. B. Vajpayee, and Gen. Musharraf here in Kathmandu, Mr. Singh said ``no such request or indication has been received so far by India''.
This does not necessarily mean that if such a request were to come from the Pakistan side in the next couple of days, India would be ready for talks. The suggestion appears to be that if Gen. Musharraf meets the benchmarks for immediate action, there might be political possibilities.
Mr. Singh reiterated today that Gen. Musharraf's moves against the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Lashkar-e-Taiba ``are welcome steps in the right direction'', but he added that ``they need to be pursued and additional steps taken''. ``We hope Pakistan will implement what it has announced,'' he insisted.
India's decision to define the conditions under which the crisis with Pakistan could be defused comes amidst growing international concerns about the danger of a nuclear war between the subcontinental rivals.
India will now wait to see if Gen. Musharraf would use his address to the SAARC conference tomorrow to make that ``purposeful declaration against terrorism''. If Gen. Musharraf could also act decisively on the list of terrorists, the door could indeed open for an early dialogue between the two.
Mr. Singh today trashed the Pakistani demand for evidence before handing over these criminals wanted by India, by calling it ``a lame excuse'' and a ``subterfuge''. He dwelt at great length on how India has shared evidence with Pakistan over the last decade on a number of terrorists wanted by the Government and the lack of response from Islamabad.
Meanwhile, Mr. Vajpayee spent the evening with the leaders of Nepal. He met the Prime Minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, and announced a package of social sector assistance of Indian Rs. 500 million to be disbursed in Nepal over the next two years.
Mr. Vajpayee also called on King Gyanendra, who is hosting a quiet private dinner for him.
India releases evidence
UNI reports:
India today released a comprehensive document listing evidence provided to Islamabad during the past one decade about the involvement of 20 criminals in terrorist acts whose extradition has been demanded by New Delhi. Mr. Singh released the two-page document. Among the terrorists wanted include those accused in the Mumbai bomb blasts and the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar. The list of 20 fugitives was submitted to Pakistan on December 31 through its Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi, Jaleel Abbas Gilani, with a request to apprehend and hand over these criminals to India.
``This (evidence) has been shared with Pakistan. If thereafter they continue to say the same thing, it is misleading,'' Mr. Singh said, adding it was an attempt to ``whirl away from the central point''.
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