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Pak. must first end cross-border terrorism, says Britain

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON MAY 27. In a sign of a new hardening of its attitude towards Pakistan, the British Government today indicated that it expected Islamabad to make the first move in de-escalating the tension in the region by putting an end to cross-border terrorism.

The Foreign Office Minister, Ben Bradshaw, said that Britain had made clear to the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, that he must do more to stop infiltration across the Line of Control. "When he does that, we will ask India to de-escalate,'' he said at a press conference here this morning as the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, prepared to visit India and Pakistan.

Mr. Straw is expected to deliver a tough message to Gen. Musharraf , echoing the U.S. President, George W. Bush's criticism that he has not done enough to check terror attacks on India. Mr. Bradshaw's remarks were considered significant as they were seen to place the onus for the current crisis on Pakistan. Observers said this was the first time that a British minister came so close to reflecting the Indian position.

``This is a pleasant departure from the balancing act that seemed to equate the two sides,'' one India-watcher said. In the Commons last week, the Prime Minister Tony Blair, while asking Pakistan to stop support to any form of terrorism, had emphasised that at the same time India must be prepared to offer "a proper system of dialogue to resolve all issues between the countries, including disputes over Kashmir.''

The hardening of British stance was attributed to a lack of any effort by Pakistan in recent days to defuse the situation. The timing of the missile tests by Pakistan was also condemned, with critics describing it as "provocative'' and in "defiance'' of American and British efforts to cool down the temperature. The former Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, said the situation was "very grave and very worrying'' amid signs of growing anxiety in government circles over the shrill rhetoric from both India and Pakistan. Gen. Musharraf's threat to take the "offensive into Indian territory'' in the event of a war and the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's remarks that India's patience was running out heightened fears of a military confrontation.

Mr. Straw, during his visit, was expected to discuss the security mechanism with two sides to prevent a nuclear accident. There is a view here that India and Pakistan do not have sufficient safeguards to avoid triggering a nuclear mishap.

Even as Britain was in the thick of diplomatic efforts to avert a war, sources admitted that the "real'' player in the region was the U.S. whose own campaign in Afghanistan could be undermined in the event of an India-Pakistan confrontation. The visit of the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, was seen to be far more crucial than Mr. Straw's.

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