INDIA/PAKISTAN: India yesterday cautiously welcomed Pakistan's declared commitment to cracking down on Kashmiri terrorist groups, but said it must match its intent with action before New Delhi reduces its troop build-up along their border. Rahul Bedi, in New Delhi reports
"Pakistan has only stated its intention of preventing terrorists from operating from its territory," the Indian Foreign Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, said at a Delhi news conference, in response to the Pakistani President, Gen Pervez Musharraf's nationwide address on Saturday.
In his hour-long televised speech, Gen Musharraf declared a ban on five Pakistan-based Muslim militant groups, including the two India blames for attacking its parliament last month and for fighting its rule in Kashmir.
Mr Singh said the lessening of tension along the border, where over one million soldiers from the two armies are locked in a stand-off following the December 13th assault on parliament, depended on Pakistan "operationalising" measures announced by its president.
"Musharraf's commitment to stamping out anti-India terrorist groups must extend to the use of all territories under Islamabad's control today including Pakistan-administered Kashmir," Mr Singh said after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, and one between the government and the opposition, at which Prime Minister Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee's "wait-and-see" approach towards Pakistan was endorsed.
But Gen Musharraf declined to extradite 20 criminals demanded by India, warned Delhi against waging war and said Pakistan would continue to offer "political, moral and diplomatic" support to Kashmiri separatists.
He also pledged to reform thousands of Koranic schools from which a large number of Islamic jihadis (holy warriors) graduated and joined fundamentalist causes.
Mr Singh said once Pakistan stopped cross-border terrorism, India was prepared to resume dialogue on all outstanding disputes including Kashmir, which is divided between the two but claimed by both.
"There would also be a need to address other organisations targeting India, as also the parent organisations that spawned them," Mr Singh declared.
He quoted Mr Vajpayee as saying that for every step Pakistan takes in reducing tension, reining in anti-India insurgent groups and in resolving disputes, India will take two.
But the Indian Foreign Minister rejected Gen Musharraf's call for international mediation on resolving the 55-year old Kashmir dispute.
"There is no scope for any third party involvement in Kashmir," he stated.
A foreign diplomat commented: "The tension between India and Pakistan has been postponed not allayed."
He added that India had become hostage to its own rhetoric and seemed increasingly unable to climb down from its "high voltage" position following the attack on parliament.
The chances of another militant strike against a "high value" Indian target in the near future could not be ruled out, he said, which would then increase pressure on Delhi to react militarily against Pakistan.
India's army chief last week said he was ready to fight a conventional and nuclear war with Pakistan to further his country's aims of stamping out terrorism raging in Kashmir for over 12 years.
Over 35,000 people have been killed in the civil war for a Muslim homeland.
Security sources said Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, the two Kashmiri militant groups proscribed by Pakistan, had a large number of insurgents inside Indian-administered Kashmir and the ban was likely to provoke a series of suicide attacks.
Both outfits have rejected Gen Musharraf's ban and vowed to continue their jihad in Kashmir.