NEW DELHI, April 20: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Wednesday that terrorist acts could yet harm the fledgling peace process with Pakistan, whereas his senior colleague Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee claimed that the proposed acquisition of F-16 warplanes from the United States by Islamabad posed the major threat.
“We are disappointed as India is in favour of having a composite dialogue with Pakistan to normalize relations,” Mr Mukherjee told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, a day after the parliament resumed its budget session on Tuesday.
“Confidence building measures are going on. But these weapons are for a full-fledged war, not just to be used against terrorists,” Mr Mukherjee said in reference to the warplanes deal between Islamabad and Washington.
Dr Singh told the Lok Sabha the process of serious and sustained dialogue hinged on absence of terrorism and India hoped that Islamabad would implement assurances in letter and spirit.
Making a statement on the recent visits of President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, he said both India and Pakistan should remain “conscious of the difficulties ahead” as the threat to the peace process from extremist forces and terrorist organizations has not been eliminated.
The difficult issues that divide the two countries have bedevilled relations for far too long to hope for an immediate resolution, he said.
“There I mentioned to President Musharraf that the whole process of serious and sustained dialogue hinges on building an atmosphere of trust and confidence, free from violence and terror. We look forward to Pakistan implementing the assurances in letter and spirit,” Dr Singh said.
The parliament statements came as the second Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus braced to roll from Srinagar on Thursday with all the 30 passengers bound for Azad Kashmir taking their tickets for the journey. There was no news about the exact venue from where the bus would start.
Mr Mukherjee said the supply of F-16 fighter jets would enhance the capability of Pakistani Air Force and would have to be adequately factored into India’s operational plans and modernization.
The Indian Air Force did not have F-16 aircraft in its inventory. The United States believed the proposed sale of F-16s would help Pakistan in waging a war against militants along the border areas of Afghanistan and India.
Mr Mukherjee said the intended sale of the planes may trigger an arms race in the region which both India and Pakistan should avoid. New Delhi’s disappointment and concern had been conveyed to Washington, he added.
Press Trust of India, reporting from the Lok Sabha, said the Indian prime minister gave a more upbeat assessment of his talks with President Musharraf.
