New Delhi: India on March 2 reacted sharply to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's
hostile remarks and blasted him for not fulfilling his commitments and international
obligations to end cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
Asked about anti-India rhetoric by Musharraf in an interview to an Indian television
channel, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said the Pakistan
President has chosen to "repeat his time-worn, trite and hackneyed position that try
to mask Pakistan's real intentions and designs".
Musharraf rebutted New Delhi's charge of Pakistan sponsoring cross-border terrorism
in Kashmir and responded with his oft repeated claim that the people in Kashmir were
fighting for their "freedom".
The Pakistani leader said he was ready to initiate a dialogue with Prime Minister
Atal Behari Vajpayee on Kashmir, while acknowledging that it was an issue under the
1972 Simla Agreement.
The Pakistan President also rejected India's demand for handing over 20 wanted
terrorists and criminals who have taken refuge in that country.
He also refused to comment on the activities of underworld don and a prime accused
in the 1993 Mumbai blasts Dawood Ibrahim, who is reportedly staying in Karachi.
Sarna said, "The fact remains that Pakistan has to be judged not through facile
statements in the media, but actions on the ground."
Dismissing Musharraf's claim that he was not unifocal, Sarna said, "In the entire
interview, he proved that he was precisely that."
The spokesman said it appeared that Musharraf "has no intentions of fulfilling his
commitments and international obligations to end cross-border terrorism, to
dismantle the infrastructure of terrorists and stop Pakistan from serving as a
platform for international terrorists".
His posture of being the misunderstood party was "disquieting" because it indicated
that he had no intention of changing his policies and responding to the legitimate
Indian demand that Pakistan make a "credible, transparent, visible and verifiable
move to end cross-border terrorism", he said.
On Musharraf's remarks that Indian leaders and officials have deliberately
misrepresented him, Sarna noted the Pakistani President's "own repetition of
statements and positions", which had brought international opprobrium on
Pakistan.
"His (Musharraf's) glib and obviously fabricated denial of his role in
Kargil proves this point," the spokesman said, observing "Attempts at being
media savvy and painting false pictures do not solve problems. What is
needed is a clear and objective understanding of facts and sincere intention
to act and this has not been obvious in Pakistan's attitude."
Indian leaders have made it clear time and again that only when Pakistan's
involvement with cross-border terrorism stopped could bilateral dialogue
take place, he stressed.
"But it would seem that even Musharraf has not drawn right lessons from the
evolving norms in the world for the last one-and-a-half years and the
increasing determination of the world to fight terrorism," he added.
Without denying the presence of terrorists in Pakistan, who masterminded the
December 13 attack on Indian Parliament, Musharraf claimed in the interview
that his government would go all out to nab the terrorists.
Harping on the Kashmir issue, Musharraf made it clear that no Pakistani
leader could afford the risk of ignoring it and one who did would be ousted
from the country.
"Kashmir is, therefore, a compulsion in any bilateral talks between India
and Pakistan," he said, adding there could never be a dialogue between the
two countries without Kashmir being the core issue.
He claimed that non-inclusion of Kashmir issue in the 1999 Lahore
Declaration led to its failure.
PTI
