The Hindu : Stop infiltration, says PM

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 24, 2002

Front Page

Front Page

Stop infiltration, says PM

By Atul Aneja

NEW DELHI MARCH 23. The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, today urged Pakistan to stop infiltration into India but stated that the situation along the Indo-Pakistani border was "not that bad. "In the Jammu sector, everyday there is infiltration. There are casualties and shooting. Pakistan must stop sending infiltrators. They can keep them on their soil,'' Mr. Vajpayee said in response to questions on the sidelines of the investiture ceremony of the Padma awards.

Mr. Vajpayee declined to comment on Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf's address today. "It is not fair on my part to comment without going through it (transcript of the speech)'', he said. He said the Government had a "comfortable majority" and was confident that the Bill to convert the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) into an Act would be passed in the joint session of Parliament on Tuesday.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Nirupama Rao, when contacted, said that India would have been happier if Gen. Musharraf, in his Pakistan Day speech, had focussed on restraining infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir or declared his intent to act on the list of 20 fugitives India had sent.

Government sources said there was no shift in India's position towards Pakistan after the December 13 terrorist attack on Parliament. They clarified that the visit of the Chairman of the Planning Commission, K.C. Pant to Islamabad early next month was not intended to signal any change in attitude. One of the reasons for sending him was the preoccupation of most of the parliamentarians with the on-going session of Parliament.

On statements made by the president of the Indian Olympic Association, Suresh Kalmadi, on the possibility of reviving cricketing ties with Pakistan, the sources said that his remarks did not, in any way, reflect the Government's position. They also ruled out early de-escalation on the borders. A decision on the pullback of forces can be made only after the snows melted and the passes used by infiltrators reopened.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

Stories in this Section

Pak. should act fast on five demands: Advani

Stop infiltration, says PM

It's horrible: NHRC chief

'Will eradicate terrorism root and branch'

Stray incidents in Gujarat

Fiat to States on power dues

CBI files cyber crime case

4 LeT men held

Processionists lathicharged