National

BJP, Congress reject Musharraf's claim

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MAY 28. Both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress today rejected the claim of the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, that infiltration had stopped across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and that Pakistan was no longer in the business of exporting terrorism to any part of the world.

But the perception of the Left parties differed — while rejecting Gen. Musharraf's claims on ending cross-border terrorism, they expressed the view that both India and Pakistan should stop indulging in jingoism and building up war hysteria.

"Gen. Musharraf should stop cross-border terrorism and the Indian leaders in the Government should stop talking war and get down to integrating the people of Jammu and Kashmir and discuss ways to give the State greater autonomy,'' D. Raja, CPI leader said.

The Congress reaction to Gen. Musharraf's televised address on Monday, and to the External Affairs Minister's response, was subdued.

"We do not find any reason to differ from the assessment of the Government of India and its response to the Pakistan President's address,'' the party spokesperson, S. Jaipal Reddy, said. Gen. Musharraf's address was "disappointing'' as it had "belied expectations of his sincerity to de-escalate tensions on the India-Pakistan border.'' Pakistan had missed an opportunity to lower the temperature generated by the threat of war.

The reaction from the BJP was not very different but certainly more aggressive. The party spokesperson, Sunil Shastri, said that the BJP would give a detailed response tomorrow, but for now it was clear that Gen. Musharraf had spoken a "blatant lie'' when he claimed that there was no infiltration and no export of terrorism across the LoC.

He regretted that the General had described India as the "enemy'' and yet talked about the need to have a dialogue with it. "How can one have a dialogue with a declared enemy?''

There was "nothing'' in Gen. Musharraf's address "that could have contributed to the easing of the built-up tensions.''

Another party leader, J. P. Mathur, talked tough: "either the global alliance (against terrorism) takes steps to eliminate the terror (from Pakistan) root and branch ... or India must prepare to do so on its own.''

The former Prime Minister, I. K. Gujral, said ``I feel Gen. Musharraf has either lost his grip on the situation or has made peace with terrorists,'' and hoped that the Pakistan President would have taken cognisance of the United Nations Resolution 1373, and developments in the region, including the terrorist activities in his own country (reports of the Taliban regrouping).

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