Nicosia: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was at his vintage best on October 7 night as he unmasked Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf for his double-speak, praised the people of Kashmir for their outright rejection of terrorist violence and support to Democratic process, and held that his 24-party coalition government was strong and stable.

Vajpayee kept the Indian community spell-bound for an hour at a reception hosted in his honour doing some plain speaking which was punctuated with characteristic wit.

"We want friendship with our neighbouring countries. So I went to Lahore by bus (on the peace mission). But the bus later got punctured," Vajpayee told the receptive gathering comprising mostly software programmers and IT experts, who repeatedly cheered him.

"People of Kashmir have made their wishes known in these elections that they will be with us at any cost," he said adding the satisfactory voter turnout in the face of severe intimidation and threats to both voters and candidates was a decisive triumph of the ballot over the bullet.

Vajpayee said he was told here about the problem of partition being faced by Cyprus from Turkey. "I told them that those who orchestrated partition of India, they themselves had to face partition in the form of Bangladesh. Those who sow seeds of discord and division can never achieve their ends."

The Prime Minister said partition was "very painful" but there were some (in an obvious reference to Musharraf) who will even go to war to carry this out.

Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, he said "Kashmir chhodne ka tho sawaal hi nahin uthta" (there is no question of leaving Kashmir).

The Prime Minister said his government has received co-operation from the people and the government of Jammu and Kashmir. "We have not forced anything on them."

He lamented that for over five decades the Kashmir problem has been festering on the contention that India's partition was on the basis of Hindu-Muslim divide and that Kashmir should go to Pakistan. "We can never accept this.

"Will Pakistan be ready to take all of them there? I am not talking of sending them. But only raising a question," he said.

"People of Kashmir have given their reply" through these elections. "They have made it clear that they will not live under subjugation, they will be independent and take their own decisions and that they are with India."

Describing Musharraf as a "dictator of a kind not seen anywhere in the world", Vajpayee said the military ruler has no value for Democracy.

Musharraf has usurped all powers and barred top leaders like Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif from entering Pakistan to participate in the upcoming general elections, Vajpayee said.

Vajpayee recalled that while he was signing on the Lahore Declaration with Sharif, the Pakistani Army General at that time, Musharraf, was plotting Kargil intrusions.

"This is such a big betrayal of trust. You can change friends, but not your neighbours. You have to learn to live with them."

The Prime Minister said he invited Musharraf to Agra on the premise that under the "shades of the historic Taj Mahal, there may be some effect on him and he would understand the message of love".

However, Musharraf adamantly stuck to describing the terrorist violence in J and K as "freedom struggle" and "war of liberation", he said. "We made it clear that we can never accept this. So the talks failed," he said.

He termed as nothing but "barbarism" the killing of innocent men, women and children in J&K in terrorist acts.

"Musharraf thought that we will get tired, break apart and surrender Kashmir. This will never happen. People of Kashmir have given a fitting reply," the Prime Minister said.

Vajpayee recalled that last year he had wanted to call Musharraf to know where he would like to go after the summit talks. "But by then, I had received intelligence reports that he had appointed himself Pakistan's President.

"When I called him, I addressed him as Mr President. He was taken aback. He said not yet, not yet. I said in that case, you will be in a little while."

The Prime Minister said India wants that there is Democracy in Pakistan. "We wish them well. But if it is bent on destroying itself, none of us can save it."

Referring to his coalition government, Vajpayee said an amalgam of 24 parties was running it. "This in itself is a miracle."

There were many who said such a coalition cannot last long, Vajpayee said. "But I said you need people who can manage this. Why will it not be viable? It is running...it will not fall apart."

He also had a dig at the Congress party saying times have changed, circumstances were different and that there was need to grow with the changing times. "We are representatives of changed scenario in the country."

The Prime Minister was flanked by Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie, his principal secretary Brajesh Mishra and Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal at the reception hosted by Indian High Commissioner Pavan K Varma.

PTI