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The News International, Tuesday, May 21,
2002
Pakistan hopes India will see
reason
World asked to help defuse tension; monitoring of
cross-border activity offered to check Indian charge of terrorism
By Mariana Baabar
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday called upon the international
community to help defuse tension between India and Pakistan and
prevail upon India to recall its troops from Pakistan's eastern
borders. "The international community should not give up its
efforts to defuse tensions and we hope that finally India will
see reason. Pakistan wants reduction in these tensions. We are
keeping all friends, including the Organisation of Islamic
Conference (OIC) updated and all of them agree that there should
be reduction of tension and resumption of dialogue between India
and Pakistan," Foreign Office spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan told
a weekly briefing.
Khan said the international community was fully cognizant of the
situation and several countries, including Russia, the United
States, Kuwait and Bangladesh had spoken out about the need for
the resolution of all problems through dialogue. As war hysteria
continues to build up and firing from across the Line of Control
continues unabated and causalities on both sides of the LoC, Aziz
Khan refused to be drawn into the future possibilities, saying:
"I cannot do any fortune telling. The situation on the borer
remains the same and it is for the ISPR to keep the media update
on the border situation."
When asked if the prevailing threats on the eastern borders did
not demand that Pakistani forces should be recalled from its
western borders on Afghanistan, Aziz Khan replied: "The
government is fully aware of its security requirements and the
armed forces can defend the country." The spokesman, to a
query about al-Qaeda forces penetrating inside Pakistan, said the
Pakistani forces were constantly monitoring their borders and
would not allow any intrusion from Afghanistan.
As regards a possible meeting of the commissioners to discuss the
Indus Water Treaty, Aziz Khan said though dates have been set for
such a meeting, right now it is not possible to say whether such
a meeting is possible. He said that there were fears regarding
India respecting this treaty but it had to be remembered that it
was a bilateral treaty and there was a guarantor to this treaty.
The spokesman was asked about the government's response to a call
from the All Parties Conference asking for President Pervez
Musharraf to concentrate on his role as the chief of army staff
and give up the rest of his offices by setting up a caretaker
set-up of national consensus. He replied: "The government is
functioning very well and cognizant of all that is going on. The
government is asking for the cooperation of all political parties
at this point in time.
It also expects full cooperation to be given to it by all
Pakistanis." To a query regarding the visit of a delegation
of the European Commission, the spokesman said that in the talks
in Islamabad it would be apprised of the prevailing situation.
"The EU agrees with us that there should be reduction in
tension and resumption of dialogue," the spokesman said.
Khan said the Chairman of EU Parliamentary Committee was probably
not very well briefed about the roadmap to democracy, which was
announced by the president. He said the government was strictly
following the roadmap and everyone was aware of it. "The
April 30 referendum had nothing to do with the democracy,"
he said, adding: "It had rather reinforced President Pervez
Musharraf's resolve to restore real democracy in the
country."
Responding to a question, the spokesman categorically said there
was no "cross-border" terrorism as had been alleged by
India. "As for verification of our claim is concerned, we
are ready for the deployment of independent international
observers on both sides of the LoC to see for themselves that
there is no 'cross-border' activity taking place," he
asserted. He said: "We are ready for that, (but) India is
not ready for that."
Replying to a question about the reported statement of the Indian
external affairs minister that India was considering withdrawing
Most-Favoured Nation (MFN) status and that what would be its
impact on Pakistan, the spokesman said the trade between the two
countries was negligible, implying, that there would be no impact
of such a decision. He also said that US State Department
official Richard Armitage would visit Pakistan but the date was
not finalised. To a question, he said the Pakistan government
also constantly briefs the United Nations about developments in
the region.
India rejects
NEW DELHI: India on Monday rejected a call by Pakistan to appoint
foreign observers to determine whether militants were crossing a
ceasefire line in disputed Kashmir. Foreign ministry spokeswoman
Nirupama Rao said figures of infiltration had increased and
Pakistan was engaging in diversionary tactics by calling for
observers instead of stopping cross-border movement of Muslim
guerrillas. "The figures of infiltration have gone up,"
Rao told reporters. "All evidence points to the fact that
Pakistan's complicity... in aiding cross-border terrorism
continues to be a reality."
The Hindu, Tuesday, May 21, 2002
Come to the table: Pak.
By B. Muralidhar Reddy
ISLAMABAD May 20. The Musharraf Government has reiterated its
call to New Delhi to come to the negotiating table for the
resolution of all differences, even as it claimed to be prepared
to meet any threat from across the border.
The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, Aziz Ahmed Khan, told a
news conference here today that all issues should be resolved
through bilateral talks. He said that this view had been endorsed
by a number of countries, including the U.S. and Russia.
He was responding to a volley of questions from correspondents at
the weekly news conference. Diplomatic and political observers
here are intrigued over the `laidback' attitude of the Musharraf
Government in the face of a series of actions taken by New Delhi
in the last few days.
In what appears to be a message to the rest of the world in
general, and India in particular, that it is business as usual
for the Pakistan Government, an official press statement made it
known that the President, Pervez Musharraf, presided over a
meeting of the Privatisation Commission.
The Pakistan Information Minister, Nisar Memon, in an
announcement said that Gen. Musharraf would hold consultations on
Wednesday with leaders of political parties, editors and other
opinion-makers on the situation arising out of the tension on the
borders.
The same day, Gen. Musharraf would preside over a joint meeting
of the federal Cabinet and the National Security Council to
review the internal and external security environment and the
preparedness of the forces to meet any contingency. Gen.
Musharraf's decision to consult people from a ``cross-section of
society'' appears to be a response to the demand at the All-Party
Conference meeting in Lahore on Sunday for his resignation both
as President and Chief of Army Staff.
The APC, attended by representatives of 29 parties, most of whom
vehemently opposed the April 30 referendum, adopted a resolution
pinning the blame for the current crisis on the Musharraf
Government.
The APC appears to have endorsed the line taken by the former
Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, that `political change' in
Pakistan was the need of the hour to de-escalate tension in the
region.
The APC warned India against any aggression and expressed total
solidarity with the Pakistan Army. However, it was of the view
that the threats faced by Pakistan could be best faced with the
formation of a `caretaker government' and appointment of a
`full-time Army Chief'.
The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, however, sought to brush
aside the APC deliberations as an ``internal matter'' of the
country and maintained that the Musharraf regime had sought the
co-operation of all elements when it was faced with threats from
across the border.
Asked for his reaction to New Delhi's decision to place its
paramilitary forces under the Army command, Mr. Khan said that it
would not alter the situation on the ground.
``After all, the Indian forces are already mobilised on the
borders and the paramilitary forces are there. There cannot be
any further escalation.''
The News International, Thursday, May 23,
2002
Time for 'decisive fight':
Vajpayee
India moves five navy ships close to Pakistan; air force
on alert
HELD SRINAGAR: Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on
Wednesday said the time had come for a "decisive
fight", as the Indian navy sent warships towards Pakistan
and put on alert its air force.
Vajpayee arrived in Srinagar in mid-morning from Jammu amid very
tight security, and immediately after his arrival he boarded a
helicopter for the border areas.
He told troops on the front-line that his visit to soldiers in
held Kashmir should be seen as a signal. "Whether our
neighbour understands this signal or not, whether the world takes
account of it or not, history will be witness to this. We shall
write a new chapter of victory," he told soldiers in
Kupwara.
"Be prepared for sacrifices. But our aim should be victory.
Because it's now time for a decisive fight," he said in a
speech, which was broadcast live nation-wide on state television.
"In this war, we will win... We have to fight our own war,
we are ready for it, we are prepared for it," Vajpayee. He
did not spell out against whom the fight would be.
In a further sign that India is exploring a military option
against Islamabad, the navy said that it had re-deployed five
warships from the country's eastern seaboard to the Arabian Sea,
closer to Pakistan. "We have moved five front-line ships of
the eastern fleet to be cross-deployed to the western seaboard to
augment the force levels," Commander Rahul Gupta, spokesman
for the Indian Navy, told AFP. The Indian Navy has a total of 140
ships. The spokesman said the ships, a destroyer, a frigate and
three corvettes, would reach the Arabian Sea within a week.
Highly-placed naval sources told AFP that four of the vessels are
armed with missiles but the spokesman declined to elaborate on
the redeployment. "A Russian-built destroyer, an indigenous
frigate and three corvettes are steaming into the Arabian Sea
from the Bay of Bengal," the source said, adding the
destroyer, the frigate and two of the corvettes are capable of
launching missiles.
The Indian Navy has already brought the country's merchant navy
under its flag and kept its only aircraft carrier on a state of
alert in the Bay of Bengal. The Indian Air Force also went on
alert. "We are still not at the stage where we scramble jets
but we are now on a state of alert," a senior official from
the Western Air Command told AFP on condition of anonymity.
He said the air force has also cleared some 80 grounded MiG-21s
for operational duty due to the increased tensions. The planes
were grounded when a jet ploughed into a state-run bank, killing
or injuring 23 people earlier this month. "We are also
re-deploying our Mirage-2000 and Jaguars to forward locations
from their mother bases," the official said of the fleet of
French- and British-built warplanes, which adds to India's mainly
Russian-built air force.
The Press Trust of India said the air force was also moving its
"strategic assets", including ground-to-air-missiles to
protect vital installations but there was no independent
confirmation of the dispatch.
The Hindu, Monday, June 03, 2002
Musharraf appeals to Vajpayee
for peace talks
DUSHANBE June 2. The Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf,
insisted today that Pakistan will not start a war with India over
Kashmir and reiterated his appeal to the Prime Minister, Atal
Behari Vajpayee, for peace talks.
"Pakistan will not start a war. We support solving the
conflict through peaceful means,'' Gen. Musharraf told reporters
in Dushanbe, during a stopover on his way to the Asian summit in
Kazakhstan that Mr. Vajpayee was also to attend.
He had said for months that he wanted a dialogue with Mr.
Vajpayee over Kashmir, but Mr. Vajpayee said that there must be a
stop to terrorist attacks by Islamic militants crossing into
Kashmir.
" I'm ready to meet anywhere and at any level. I would like
the talks to be one-on-one, but if (Vajpayee) he doesn't want to,
I will not insist,'' Gen. Musharraf said. He was optimistic about
the Russian President, Vladimir Putin's offer to mediate talks
this week between the leaders on the sidelines of the Kazakhstan
summit. "I think that he (Putin) can persuade India to join
a dialogue,'' Gen. Musharraf said. The Tajikistan President,
Emomali Rakhmonov, said today his country was also willing to
facilitate the start of negotiations between India and Pakistan,
according to the Interfax news agency— AP `Infiltrations
have stopped' Muzaffarabad (Pakistan) June 2. Kashmiri rebels
have virtually halted infiltrations into Kashmir under
instructions from Islamabad, in a bid to avert a war with India,
militant sources said today.
India has demanded that Pakistan fulfil a promise to end support
for what it calls ``cross-border terrorism'', and the United
States has also asked the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf,
to do more to prevent militants crossing from Pakistan to India.
Sources close to the Kashmiri separatist groups in Muzaffarabad,
the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, said they had received
the message.
``We have been asked to stop sending militants across the Line of
Control,'' a militant source told Reuters. ``They have been
asked, so infiltration has virtually stopped,'' another source
close to the militants said. ``The instruction was issued around
a week ago or so.''
Pak. blocks funds to madrasas
Pakistani authorities have stopped funding 115 Islamic religious
schools (madrasas) across the country for their involvement in
extremism and militancy.
The institutions were found involved in ``sectarian violence and
terrorism,'' Mufti Abdul Qavi, member of the Pakistan Madrasa
Education Board, told a news conference in Multan. They will not
be entitled to financial assistance from the Government and their
activities will be under observation.
The action follows the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf's
decision to crack down on extremism and curb religious militancy.
He has already banned five radical Islamic groups— AFP
The News International, Tuesday, June 04,
2002
Musharraf offers unconditional
talks
Says Putin can play definitive role in
mediation between India and Pakistan
ALMATY: President Pervez Musharraf said on Monday he is prepared
"unconditionally" to hold talks on the Kashmir crisis
with India's leader during a regional summit on security in the
Kazakh economic capital Almaty. "I don't have any conditions
(for a meeting). You need to ask this question to (Prime Minister
Atal Behari) Vajpayee," Musharraf told a news conference
after a meeting with Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Questioned on the prospects of avoiding war between the two
nuclear rivals, Musharraf replied: "I will do my utmost. I
hope I will be successful. They say you can't clap with one hand,
you clap with two hands, but the second has to be equally
supportive in avoiding war. That is how we will succeed in
avoiding war."
In an interview on Russian RTR television, Musharraf later said
the Indian refusal to hold direct talks was preventing progress
in resolving the issue. "As far as I am concerned, the main
problem is the obstinacy and the reluctance of the Indian
leadership to join with us in a process of dialogue," he
said.
He stressed that the use of nuclear weapons was not an option.
"Nuclear war in the present age is unthinkable. No sane
personality would even discuss that," he told RTR
television. "I believe that India and Pakistan ought to be
sensible enough and responsible enough to prevent or avoid a
nuclear conflict," he said.
Musharraf said Nazarbayev had told him he had been unable to
obtain an assurance from Vajpayee during a separate meeting that
the Indian premier would agree to speak to him. On the prospects
for Russian mediation, Musharraf said President Vladimir Putin
was "in a very important position to play a definitive role
in mediation between India and Pakistan".
Earlier, a number of bilateral issues including the situation
obtaining in the subcontinent came under discussion when
President Musharraf called on President Nursultan Nazarbaye after
his arrival here to attend the 16-nation CICA being held on
Tuesday. According to the officials, the meeting lasted one hour
in which discussion took place on a number of subjects aimed at
promoting further close relations between the two countries.
The president was assisted during his talks by Foreign Minister
Abdul Sattar, Information Minister Nisar Memon, Director-General
ISPR Major-General Rashid Qureshi and Pakistan's Ambassador to
Kazakhstan Durray Shahwar Kureshi. Later, Information Minister
Nisar Memon said he hoped President Putin would be able to
persuade India to enter talks. "I still hope that after the
meeting with President Putin there will be dialogue," he
said.
"We know that President Putin and Russia have a very close
relationship with India but now Pakistan also has a close
relationship with Russia and we hope that there will be influence
on the Indian leadership." Putin has said he could mediate
between the two countries, though India has rejected the offer.
The Russian president will meet both Vajpayee and Musharraf in
bilateral meetings Tuesday afternoon. But if he even manages to
initiate some kind of contact, there will not be much time as
Musharraf is due to leave on Tuesday evening. Vajpayee stays on
until Wednesday morning.
"The president is here in search of peace. He has come here
in search of dialogue with India on all outstanding issues
including Kashmir," Memon said. "The world needs peace
and for peace we need dialogue." President Musharraf arrived
here from Dushanbe to attend Conference on Interaction and
Confidence Building in Asia. On the sidelines of the conference
on Tuesday, Musharraf will meet Chinese President Jiang Zemin,
Russian President Putin and leaders of other participating
countries.
The News International, Tuesday, June 04,
2002
India sidelines UN in crisis
with Pakistan
UNITED NATIONS: With emissaries racing to South Asia to defuse
the India-Pakistan crisis, the one body not involved is the
United Nations where India has told the organization and its
secretary-general to butt out. The United States and Russia, for
different reasons, agree and want the controversy kept out of the
15-member Security Council. Only Britain has privately briefed
council members on the visit of Foreign Minister Jack Straw to
nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, whose troops are pounding each
other across a cease-fire line.
"We are not eager to have ambassadors in New York get
involved in a Security Council resolution when what needs to
happen is more work on the ground," a US official said, with
the Bush administration reluctant to involve the United Nations
in more issues than it has to, the official emphasised that
"we are continuing to work bilaterally to solve this very
important crisis."
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has been in touch by telephone
with Indian and Pakistani leaders and offered his services. But
"India does not wish to internationalize the peace
efforts," said his spokesman Fred Eckhard. "Without
agreement of both parties, there is nothing the international
community can do," he said.
India has repeatedly said it would not talk to Pakistan until it
halted infiltration by Muslim militants into Kashmir, divided
between both countries, with a small part in China. "I don't
know what can be negotiated on this," said Satish Mehta, the
senior diplomat in India's UN mission.
"The UN secretary-general has already called on Pakistan to
do more and stop cross border terrorism from its territory.
Pakistan has to respond to calls by international community if it
is serious," he told Reuters. India also has rejected any
expansion of the UN monitoring mission for Kashmir. The world
body still fields a team of 43 military observers and 22 civilian
officials watching a cease-fire border, or Line of Control,
between armies from the two countries. The mission, set up in
1949, works mostly in Pakistan.
But India's Mehta said monitors would not help. "Do you
believe the United Nations can spot them (infiltrators) across
the border? It is not effective in any case and serves no
point," he said. "Nobody likes intervention."
India contends resolutions calling for the referendum (in
Kashmir) are no longer valid and a UN monitoring mission has no
foundation since India and Pakistan agreed in 1972 to negotiate
the dispute with each other.
However, the Security Council has not terminated any of its
resolutions -- adopted in 1948, 1951 and 1965 -- declaring
Kashmir a disputed area. But it has steered away from the
problem, mainly because of India's power and objections and
divisions among its members, with Russia a close ally of New
Delhi.