Bangkok: In the midst of peace initiative, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on October 10 night declared that if a war was thrust on India by Pakistan it would take "appropriate measures" to win it as it did in Kargil.

"If a war is thrust upon India, it would take appropriate measures to win it.... That is what we did in Kargil. Pakistan did not learn from the division of the country during the 1971 Bangladesh War when it could not stop its dismemberment," Vajpayee said addressing a large gathering of Indian community.

Describing the Kargil war as a "betrayal" on the part of Pakistan, Vajpayee attacked President Pervez Musharraf, who was then the Army Chief, for plotting the action.

Contending that he had written a poem "Jang nahi hone denge" (We will not let war happen) earlier, Vajpayee said he could not stop the Kargil war as "it was a betrayal. I had undertaken the Lahore bus trip just ahead of the conflict in February 1999 and was accorded a grand welcome. At that time even Musharraf sahib saluted me".

He said the then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was kept in the dark and a conspiracy was on to remove him.

"India was betrayed but we replied to it. We did not want any of our territory to be occupied by Pakistan nor did we want to occupy Pakistani territory."

Observing that there has been "give and take" of territory after previous wars, the Prime Minister said, "At that time (Kargil), I decided that this would not happen again. We have to take full control of Kargil."

Recalling his conversation with the US President Bill Clinton on July 4, 1999, Vajpayee said then Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif was invited to Washington where he pleaded with American leadership that they should save them.

Clinton "telephoned me too inviting me to Washington for talks to stop the war. But I maintained that there was no question of going there till India regained its territory and I did not go", he told the Indian audience amidst applause.

Relating the events thereafter saying that there was also a revolt within the Pakistan Army, Vajpayee said, "Musharraf got an opportunity and exploited it. But, that did not deter me to again extend the hand of friendship."

Stating that there was need to live together in peace and harmony in today's world, the Prime Minister said that people in Pakistan were least bothered about Kashmir and also were against dictatorship there.

Recalling that Pakistan occupied one-third of Kashmir after the partition, Vajpayee said at that time there should have been no compromise on the issue and India should not have allowed that.

"Kashmir has been a headache because of that. No one living in Jammu and Kashmir wants to go to Pakistan but Pakistan still demands a plebiscite. I don't know what they want," he said, adding that India was not scared of a war being thrust on it and has developed nuclear weapons as a deterrent.

"These weapons are not for attacking anyone but only to deter attacks on India," he said.

Referring to the days of the Cold War, he said the situation that existed at that time was not there anymore and the Berlin Wall had collapsed and now it was time for co-operation and co-existence.

PTI