Pakistan's President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, indicated here yesterday that he was willing to address the concerns of the international community and India on militancy in his country,. He declared unequivocally that Pakistan rejected terrorism in all forms. Addressing a joint press conference with the visiting British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, Musharraf promised a "complete plan" to deal with extremism and sectarian violence in his country.
Despite the categorical tone of Musharraf's statement, Blair delivered a blunt message and said that the international community expected him to take action against five militant groups for their "actions". Blair did not specify the groups. Significantly, Musharraf did not link the Kashmir issue and terrorism. He complained about the "dangerous military build-up and belligerent statements" from the Indian side, in contrast to the "restraint" from Pakistan and spoke about the urgent need to de-escalate the tension and begin the peace process.
Blair repeatedly referred to the October 1st attack on the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and the December 13th attack on Parliament House and asserted that there can be no justification for them. He emphasized that Pakistan should denounce all such incidents in categorical terms. He said the international community expects Islamabad to arrest the leaders responsible for such acts, in consonance with the resolutions of the United Nations.
In response to a question on what further steps his Government contemplated in the crackdown on the jehadis, Musharraf said he would soon tell the people of Pakistan about his comprehensive plan. He claimed that Pakistan had been acting against religious extremists even before September 11th, citing his banning of two sectarian bodies on August 14th. His Government was in the process of `analyzing' the list of 20 persons accused of committing acts of terror and currently taking shelter in Pakistan presented to him by India, but would require evidence against each person mentioned.
Blair disclosed that he had spoken to President George W. Bush earlier in the day and they were agreed that there was no room for terror incidents like October 1st and December 13th. India and Pakistan should sit across the table for a meaningful dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue.
Asked whether the Indian Government or the people of Kashmir were guilty of acts of terrorism, Blair said that nothing can justify what happened on October 1st and December 13th. "I am aware how strongly people here feel about Kashmir. The only real way forward to the resolution of the problem is through meaningful dialogue". He concluded that, after his visit, he was convinced both countries favored de-escalation of tensions.
A day after the meeting between the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf, at Kathmandu, India today ruled out an early dialogue with Pakistan. Its reluctance to begin the talks was formalized after a two-hour meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by the Prime Minister. India cited its disappointment with the steps taken by Pakistan to counter terrorism as the reason for its decision. The External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh, said that a dialogue is meaningless while Pakistan's attitude dialogue remains unchanged. By rejecting talks, India is signaling the international community to continue pressuring Pakistan on terrorism.
Significantly, India adopted this position while the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was touring the subcontinent in an effort to defuse military tension between New Delhi and Islamabad. Blair advocated the resumption of an Indo-Pak. dialogue only after the threat of terrorism ended. Last night, he also spoke to US President George Bush, after talking with Mr. Vajpayee. The view in official circles is that Pakistan has not put enough pressure on terrorists involved in Kashmir. After the detention of the heads of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad organizations, most of those arrested belonged to the Sipah-e-Sabah, which spearheads a violent anti-Shiite campaign in Pakistan.
An Indian spokesman accused Pakistan of having very different attitudes to anti-Western terrorism in Afghanistan and anti-Indian terrorism in Kashmir. This was "not acceptable" and "regrettable". He rejected the Pakistani assertion that India had provided no evidence about 20 terrorists against whom it had sought action. He added that, besides proof provided by India, the Interpol had sounded a red alert against several individuals on this list. Once the red alert notice is issued, it is mandatory for any country, including Pakistan, to detain the accused present on its soil. Pakistan can also hand over terrorists to India on the basis of an agreement on "fugitives of terror" signed between India's Central Bureau of Investigation and Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency in May 1989. Interpol had issued red corner notices against the five terrorists accused of hijacking an Indian Airlines plane in December 1999. A similar notice was issued for Ranjit Singh, alias 'Neeta', accused of involvement in terrorist activities in Jammu.
The spokesman said that the Indo-Pak. Border remains tense. He confirmed that a Pakistani Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) had been shot down, its wreckage falling on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control. An Indian UAV had crashed due to a technical snag. Both India and Pakistan use UAVs, mainly for detecting troop build-ups on either side of the border.
