Wednesday, Jun 05, 2002
Wednesday, Jun 05, 2002 |
| Front Page | ||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Front Page
By Atul Aneja
Mr. Vajpayee said this in response to Gen. Musharraf's assertion during his address to the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building in Asia that India's refusal to address the Kashmir issue and its resistance to an immediate resumption of dialogue were the root causes for the military tensions in the subcontinent. Gen. Musharraf also blamed India for the "inconclusive summit'' at Agra where the two sides were unable to set in motion "a dialogue process on Kashmir.'' And he accused India of disregarding the "relevant United Nations Resolutions'' related to Kashmir, as well as the "wishes of the Kashmiri people.'' His tough rhetoric notwithstanding, Gen. Musharraf did not backtrack from his earlier commitment of disallowing the use of Pakistani soil for terrorism. Deviating from his prepared text, Gen. Musharraf reiterated that ``Pakistan will not allow its territory to be used for terrorism within or outside its borders'' and that ``terrorism in all its forms and manifestations'' must be rejected. While rebutting Gen. Musharraf's observations, Mr. Vajpayee also opened the door for a de-escalation process if the Pakistan President fulfilled his promises on curbing infiltration. Explaining the context in which India had set the condition that state-sponsored terrorism must be terminated by Pakistan for the bilateral talks to resume, Mr. Vajpayee pointed to the fact that Gen. Musharraf had not fulfilled the promises he made in his January 12 televised speech. "The President of Pakistan had publicly made two promises. One, that Pakistan will not allow its territory to be used to promote terrorism anywhere in the world. Two, that no organisation will be allowed to indulge in terrorism in the name of Kashmir.'' However, in the following months, cross-border infiltration had increased, violence in Jammu and Kashmir continued unabated and "terrorist camps operate unhindered across our borders,'' he said. Gen. Musharraf, on May 27, had again committed himself to stopping cross-border infiltration. But, "you will agree that past record makes us very cautious about accepting such promises unquestioningly,'' the Prime Minister said. Nevertheless "if we see that action on the ground corresponds to the promises made by President Musharraf, we will naturally take consequent steps.'' Refuting Gen. Musharraf's charge that India was avoiding a dialogue, Mr. Vajpayee said "as far as dialogue is concerned, it is India which has always taken the initiative. I have been to Lahore and invited President Musharraf to Agra. We have repeatedly said that we are willing to discuss all issues with Pakistan, including Jammu and Kashmir. But for that, cross-border terrorism has to end.'' Rejecting the justification or understanding of terrorism on any ground, he said "the killing of innocent men, women and children cannot be defended by invoking any of the alleged grievances, underlying causes or attendant circumstances.'' This observation assumes importance in the light of Gen. Musharraf's emphasis on "terrorism by state'' as a key reason for spiralling "violence and terrorism.'' With the recent missile tests by Pakistan and its threat of nuclear weapon use at the U.N. inthe backdrop, Mr. Vajpayee said the CICA should call upon all nuclear weapon states "not to indulge in nuclear blackmail.''
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | Home |
Copyright © 2002, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|