March 26, 2003	Wednesday	Muharram 22, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, March 25: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said on Tuesday he deplored “Indian motivated” allegations of Pakistan’s involvement in the massacre of 24 Hindus in occupied Kashmir and demanded an independent probe.

“The government of Pakistan deplores the motivated and baseless allegations,” blaming Pakistan for the March 24 attack, Mr Kasuri said in a statement.

“Such accusations against Pakistan, when an inquiry has not even been initiated, let alone concluded, have unfortunately become a pattern,” the minister said.

“Motive constitutes an important factor in the commission of all acts of this nature. Manifestly such incidents are not in the interest of Pakistan or the Kashmiri freedom movement.

“Pakistan would once again urge India to permit neutral and impartial investigations into all such incidents rather than blaming Pakistan,” Mr Kasuri said.

India’s Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani who visited the massacre sites pointed an accusing finger at Pakistan for the attack.

“It is an act of our neighbour. Violence in Kashmir and elsewhere in India is continuing only because of them,” Mr Advani said in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

Mr Kasuri said Pakistan had always condemned attacks carried out against civilians and had in the past offered joint investigations to the Indian government to investigate such terrorist acts.

“Regrettably, India has always rejected the offer of Pakistan as well as the offer made by various international agencies to unearth the perpetrators of such crimes.”

IRAQ WAR: Mr Kasuri said Pakistan would use all diplomatic means to bring an end to the suffering of Iraqi people.

Talking to reporters at a French-German co-hosted reception, he said: “We believe that United Nations must continue to play an important role in the current crisis in Iraq”.

Mr Kasuri rejected assertion that any official had described Pakistan being the next target. “No one has said that,” he added.

The minister said Pakistan was a responsible member of the international community. He said Pakistan had fought three wars with India but it had never targeted the civilian population or dams, etc. “We behaved like a responsible country”.

He reiterated that the country’s nuclear control and command structure was in safe hands and was recognized as such by the international community. “There was no question of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons going into wrong hands,” he added.

He said Pakistan had brought its nuclear command and control structure two years before the Indians did and added that there was no way of Pakistan taking part in proliferation, be it nuclear weapons or missiles.

In his speech at the function held to mark the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Elysee Treaty, Mr Kasuri said the Security Council must implement all its resolutions whether they be on Iraq, Palestine or Jammu and Kashmir.

He praised the Elysee Treaty signed 40 years ago between France and Germany replacing age-old rivalries between the peoples of the two countries and laid the foundations of a lasting peace in Europe.—AFP/APP