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It is for India to act, says Musharraf
By B. Muralidhar Reddy
ISLAMABAD, JAN. 15. The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, has asserted that Pakistan would never `compromise on the Kashmir cause' and favoured a just solution, addressing the concerns and interests of the people of the State.
In his inaugural address at the meeting of the newly- constituted `National Kashmir Committee,' Gen. Musharraf maintained that Pakistan would continue to extend its `moral, political and diplomatic' support to the Kashmiri people and the Committee would strive for peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Through his address, Gen. Musharraf has sought to send out two messages. The first one is that henceforth the focus of Pakistan on Kashmir would be on `moral, diplomatic and political' support. Of course this was the stated position of Islamabad even before his January 12 but there were few takers for the line given the open operation of a number of militant outfits in Pakistan espousing the cause of Kashmir.
It has been the contention of New Delhi that Pakistan was aiding and abetting the militant outfits and this was reflected in the charge of `cross-border terrorism'. Gen. Musharraf sought to address this concern of New Delhi when he denounced violence in the name of the Kashmir cause and expressed determination of his Government to deal with the jehadi groups operating in Kashmir.
The second is the linkage of a solution to the United Nations Resolutions. In the run-up to the Agra Summit, Islamabad had given up the emphasis on the UN Resolutions (promising a plebiscite in the Valley to enable the people of the State to decide on whether they want to be part of India or Pakistan).
Now it appears that Pakistan once again wants to emphasise the importance of the UN Resolutions and mobilise international opinion to pressure India to sit across the table for resolution of the dispute in accordance with the 1948 and 49 resolutions.
``As far as Pakistan is concerned, it should be crystal clear to every one that there could be no compromise on Kashmir issue and there should be no doubt in anybody's mind about the Government's commitment to the Kashmir cause'', Gen. Musharraf told the Committee members.
About the situation on the border, he said the whole world favoured de-escalation of tension. It was for India to do the needful as it had amassed troops on its borders. If India withdrew its troops, Pakistan would respond instantly. Gen. Musharraf said that the best deterrence of war was ``our will and resolve'' to respond to any aggression with full force. An official statement said there was general appreciation by the members to the firm commitment of the President to the Kashmir cause.
Crackdown on `jehadi' outfits
In a massive crackdown on the outlawed jehadi (`holy war') outfits the Pakistan police are believed to have rounded up over 1,500 activists and sealed more than 400 of their offices in different parts of the country.
Offices of the outlawed outfits have been sealed and members of the organisations have also been picked up from the Pak-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Gilgit and Northern Areas.
The Musharraf Government today formally notified the ban on five outlawed militant groups. They are the Lashkar-e- Taiba, the Jaish-e-Mohammad, the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), the Tehreek-e-Jafferia Pakistan (TJP) and the Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e- Muhammadi (TNSM).
The notification under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, said that the Sunni Tehreek had been placed under observation. Under the Act, once the ban is enforced against an organisation its offices would be sealed, accounts would be frozen and all literature shall be seized.
The Pakistan Interior Secretary, Tasneem Noorani, said that the operation against these organisations would continue.
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