28 May 2002
INDIA HOLDS BACK HAND TO LET
MUSHARRAF REALLY ACT
From Jal Khambata
NEW
DELHI: India is holding back its hand from any further offensive,
asking Pakistan to implement and act on assurances itself has given
and pointing out that talks at this stage are "very difficult"
when one "holds finger on trigger and says talk to me or else
..."
After reading out a brief and terse Indian response
to Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's televised address to
the nation Monday night, Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh asked
the international community to wake up to Pakistan's bid to
nuclearise terrorism.
He said Musharraf and some of his
Ministers had been speaking "very casually" about
"nuclearaisation of terrorism. "This is an example of how
promotion of terrorism and nuclear threats are held simultaneously,"
he pointed out.
He also ruled out any possibility of Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Musharraf holding any talks during
the Almaty conference in Kazakistan next month. Russian President
Vladimir Putin is to hold separate talks with the two leaders in
Almaty. Jaswant Singh, however, ducked a pointed question as to how
long India hold patience since Vajpayee was repeatedly saying the
patience has already run out.
The "desire for peace"
expressed by Musharraf in his address is "in his own hand"
to act and "India will reciprocate," Jaswant Singh said
while dubbing his address as "disappointing" since the
commitments he had made earlier on January 12 in a similar televised
address remain unfulfilled and "dangerous" since "butchery
and tension" are not reduced but "unfortunately" he
indulged in offensives which contradict his own desire of
peace.
Regretting that Musharraf has revealed "no
measures to stop export of terrorism" and his claims were not
tallying with "facts on ground," Jaswant Singh told a very
crowded Press conference that India is not contemplating at the
moment breaking diplomatic relations with Pakistan. "Nahi yah
abhi koyee prshna nahi hai (No, it is not the question
now)."
NUCLEAR: Asked about fears of a nuclear conflict
if tension escalates further, Jaswant Singh expressed disappointment
that Musharraf and some ministers in his Government have spoken very
casually about "nuclearisation of terrorism." Stating that
"this is an example of how promotion or terrorism and threat of
nuclear are held simultaneously," he said India's Nuclear policy
of "no first use" remains unchanged.
He affirmed
that Musharraf had himself given a commitment to the international
community to act against terrorism and hence he must completely stop
infiltration across the Line of Control (LoC), disband terrorist
training camps in Pak-occupied Kashmir "permanently and not just
temporarily", cease financial and infrastructural support to
terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and also deport to India 20 criminals
whose list was furnished in December.
How will India accept
that the terrorist training camps are permanently wound up? Jaswant
Singh said India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have same background and so
"we will know" if closure of the camps is a "cosmetic
gesture or a commitment and a permanent gesture."
EVIDENCE:
Jaswant Singh, however, flared up when asked to comment on
Musharraf's claim that India was yet to provide any evidence of
Pakistan's hand in the incidents of terrorist attacks, be it on
Parliament, Jammu and Kashmir Assembly or on civilians and military
camp in Jammu.
"Are you interrogating me for evidence or
corroborating with General Musharraf," he shot back and asked
the questioner: "Have you seen the evidence." When told
"No," he asked: "How do you then say Musharraf is
right?"
He went on to point out that the Pakistani
authorities had been provided all telltale evidence, be it
fingerprints, addresses, photographs and what not and the terrorist
arrested in the latest attack in Rajouri has himself admitted his
Pakistani domicile.
WORLD PRESSURE: Asked if India were
satisfied with the pressure the United Kingdom and the United States
are applying on Pakistan, Jaswant Singh quipped: "It is not the
question of my satisfaction. It is the result that we see on ground.
Today the third missile and yesterday's speech and all kinds of
actions..."
He said: "It is for UK and USA to assess
whether their pressure is working" on Pakistan since their
purpose is the international fight against terrorism.
When
told that Musharraf has also admitted that he may not have control on
some persons indulging in terrorism to damage Pakistan's interest,
Jaswant Singh snapped back that it was for him to answer as to "does
the general's writ runs inside Pakistan." On one hand he claims
98 per cent support (in the controversial referendum he secured) and
simultaneously he claims no control on what happens in Pakistan,
Jaswant Singh remarked.
Asked if India will risk war and how
much more time it will give Musharraf to act, Jaswant Singh said his
"most earnest request" will be to see that "India was
already subjected to war, a kind of proxy war for two decades almost
though it does not fall into the standard classical war."
He
pointed out that the "war" has been already redefined
internationally when US President Bush says after September 11 attack
on New York's twin towers that "war has been declared against
the United States." It is a new form of war which has now
international recognition, he added. END