NEW DELHI, June 20: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad telephoned his Indian counterpart Atal Behari Vajpayee on Thursday and discussed the standoff with Islamabad, a foreign ministry statement said.

During the 10-minute conversation, “Prime Minister Vajpayee stressed that while India was not for military confrontation with Pakistan, the country was determined to resist cross-border terrorism ... with resoluteness and determination,” the statement said.

Malaysia is one of the countries to which Pakistan recently dispatched an envoy to present its point of view on the standoff.

Vajpayee told Mahathir that “India (awaits) Pakistan’s implementation of (Pakistan’s) pledges and promises through concrete, visible and permanent action on the ground,” the foreign ministry release said.

“The conversation provided a useful opportunity for conveying to the Malaysian prime minister India’s clear and consistent position ... and its unflinching determination to seek a permanent end to cross-border terrorism,” the statement added.—AFP