Vajpayee reiterates peace offer: Infiltration must stop
SRINAGAR, April 19: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee wound up a two-day visit to Indian Kashmir on Saturday by reiterating his peace offer to Pakistan and freedom fighters, but again raising the issue of “cross-border terrorism”.
Mr Vajpayee launched his tour of Kashmir — the second within a year to the region — by offering a hand of friendship to Pakistan on Friday during a massive rally in Srinagar.
“It is possible to make a new beginning, but it depends on Pakistan,” Mr Vajpayee told a news conference. “We will see what concrete steps Pakistan takes. I have extended the hand of friendship and want to see how Pakistan replies to it. Cross-border terrorism should end. Talks can be opened on all subjects, including Jammu and Kashmir. I hope that from across the border, we will get a proper response, and we will be able to move ahead.”
He added: “As along as cross-border terrorism is going on and militants are preparing to cross the border ... fruitful talks cannot happen.”
Mr Vajpayee said his Kashmir pointsman N.N. Vohra would arrive in Srinagar soon to talk to the elected representatives and other sections of society.
“We are prepared for talks with everyone. Our doors are not closed for anyone,” he said to a query on whether freedom fighters would be invited for talks.—AFP
Jawed Naqvi adds from New Delhi: Mr Vajpayee waded into currents of resistance from his right-wing Hindu allies who opposed his offer of peace talks with Pakistan as he urged Islamabad on Saturday to help him usher a new beginning in their strained ties.
“We are willing to discuss all issues, including Jammu and Kashmir. But the route of cross-border terrorism cannot go on. There has been no benefit from it and there cannot be any benefit in the future,” Mr Vajpayee said. “I hope there will be an appropriate response from across the border.”
Earlier, speaking at the Kashmir University, he accused Islamabad of fomenting violence in the region. “But the centre will not allow Pakistan to succeed in its designs”.
Praising last year’s controversial elections in the Valley, Mr Vajpayee said the people of Jammu and Kashmir “through the power of democracy gave a ringing verdict against militancy and terrorist violence unleashed against us from across the border for past decade and more”.
Among the vocal critics of Mr Vajpayee’s proposal was his Shiv Sena ally Bal Thackeray, while Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha, representing the hardliners in his own Bharatiya Janata Party, targeted President Pervez Musharraf, the United States and terrorism in a significantly timed speech.
In Mumbai, Mr Thackeray said the offer of talks with Pakistan was a waste of time. “How many times are we going to commit the same mistake?” he said to reporters.
Mr Sinha told a meeting of intellectuals that the war in Iraq had not solved the problem of terrorism. He quoted Mr Vajpayee verbatim from a speech the latter made in Kuala Lumpur to attack President Pervez Musharraf and left no doubt what he was planning to tell US officials due to visit India and Pakistan shortly.
Clearly alluding to General Musharraf’s speech at the Non-Aligned Summit in Malaysia, Mr Sinha said: “There are some in the world who argue that certain ‘root causes’ are responsible for the phenomenon of terrorism and that this menace can be addressed only by tackling issues such as poverty, absence of political freedom, territorial disputes, religious intolerance, ethnic discrimination, etc.
“Until then, we must live with terrorism or rather die at its hands. They point out that terrorism as a means of political struggle has had a long history and will not end without these root causes being resolved.
“Terrorism does not flow from unresolved root causes but because terrorism has become an instrument of war by other means.”
Mr Sinha said no “root cause” can justify the massacres of Kaluchak and Nadimarg in Kashmir and incidents such as the attack on Indian parliament of Dec 13, 2001 “which was designed to eliminate at one go the entire national leadership of India.”
The foreign minister then quoted Mr Vajpayee thus: “President Musharraf has referred to my country a little while ago. His strange logic masks Pakistan’s territorial designs on an integral part of India. He justifies terrorism against India by talking of root causes. Does he go into the root causes of sectarian terrorism in his country?” Mr Sinha then turned upon the United States, targeting its refusal to accept that terrorism’s “most egregious manifestations are found in our neighbourhood.”
He said it was “particularly important for us in India to speak out and articulate our perspectives in this regard in a loud and clear manner. What we have to say may not be palatable to some. Criticism and opposition may come our way. We must, however, continue to speak out.”
Mr Sinha said: “There is no dearth of advice on foreign policy issues. But let me make it clear that we neither need to panic over possible US intervention in our affairs nor should there be concern that our relations with the US are on the verge of collapse.
“India cannot remain silent simply out of fear of incurring the displeasure of others and India-US relations should not be viewed through the prism of only one issue. India-US relations are based on a whole host of objective factors and these factors continue to bring our countries closer together.”
