Vajpayee declines to talk to Pakistan

Published October 23, 2001

LUCKNOW, Oct 22: Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said on Monday there was “no point in talking” to Pakistan after fresh killings in occupied Kashmir.

“Today itself, terrorists tried attacking an airport in (held) Kashmir. Now I feel as if there is no point in talking to Pakistan,” Vajpayee said at a news conference here. Four attackers were killed in a gunbattle with Indian forces near a high-security air force base in held Kashmir. A pedestrian and an Indian air force employee also died.

The prime minister said such incidents had left little scope for ending hostilities with Pakistan.

“We have not closed all our doors, but as long as cross-border terrorism continues, we shall not have any talks with them (Pakistan),” he added.

“We are not going to be dictated to by any other country on this issue.”—Agencies

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