NEW DELHI, Sept 20: India said on Friday that notwithstanding the “satisfactory first round” of controversial elections in Jammu and Kashmir, it was “premature” to consider the question of resumption of India-Pakistan dialogue or de-escalation of troops from the borders.

Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal was apparently responding to reports from Pakistan that quoted Pakistan’s Defence Secretary Hamid Nawaz as saying he expected India to begin withdrawal of its forces from the border next month, to be quickly followed by Islamabad.

“It is all very premature,” Sibal was quoted by the Press Trust of India as telling reporters to questions on whether successful conclusion of the remaining three phases would pave the way for resumption of dialogue between the two countries.

India-Asian News Service agency, reporting from Islamabad, quoted Nawaz as saying in published remarks: “It is expected that India will start the withdrawal process after October.”

Sibal, commenting on the question of withdrawal of troops, said: “I will not like to comment prematurely on this. Let October eight (when the last phase of polling comes to an end) come.”

Asked whether India would consider “harsh measures” if Pakistan failed to fulfil its promises, he said: “We are going on with our strategy. Our political and diplomatic efforts will continue.”

Sibal said pressure of the international community on Pakistan to end infiltration “seems to be working but has not worked enough” in seeing that this was ended permanently.

Stoppage of infiltration was intended to be the “first step” in the process leading to the end what India calls cross-border terrorism. This was never intended to be a “self-contained, one-time sort of action” to clear all obstacles for a dialogue, he said.

Nawaz said Pakistan was not in any hurry for the withdrawal, adding that any measure had to be a reciprocal process.

India and Pakistan had massed around a million troops on their borders following the Dec 13 attack on the Parliament house in New Delhi.

Nawaz, a retired lieutenant general, alleged India had deployed troops to pressure Pakistan following US operations in Afghanistan after Sept 11.

He said India was trying to supply rations and other logistical support to its army deployed on the mountain peaks of Kargil and Siachen.

“Snowfall would soon start in the northern areas and India would be forced to withdraw forces from the Line of Control,” he said.—J.N