Inidia awaits Pakistani action on terrorism
Pakistan’s president yesterday denounced terrorism after meeting British Prime Minister Tony Blair, but India today appeared to want more details before discussing an end to the crisis between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today avoided mentioning Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf’s anti-terrorism statement late last night.
Analysts said India will wait to see what Musharraf says in a televised address to Pakistanis, expected within days.
‘‘That’s going to lay out his agenda against terrorism,’’ said Brahma Chellaney, a political analyst with the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. ‘‘If they want to avert war, they will have to climb down from their current advocacy and support of terrorism.’’
It will not be easy for Musharraf instantly to break Pakistan’s ties with Islamic extremists, he said.
Musharraf made his latest anti-terrorism statement after Mr Blair flew to Islamabad and demanded stronger action against terrorism, saying India and Pakistan must resolve their fight over the disputed region of Kashmir through dialogue.
Mr Blair repeatedly mentioned deadly terror attacks on Kashmir’s state assembly on October 1 and India’s Parliament on December 13.
India blames Islamic militants and Pakistan’s spy agency, although Pakistan denies any involvement.
As India-Pakistan relations deteriorated after the assault on Parliament, both sides rushed tens of thousands of troops and weapons to their border, cut transport links and reduced their diplomatic staffs.
Repeated exchanges of mortar, artillery and gunfire across the border have killed dozens of people in recent days, and militants have hacked some civilians to death with axes, but there was no word of fresh fighting today.
Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes ruled out reducing India’s military buildup along the 1,100 mile border.
‘‘The troops are on the front line and, no, we are not reducing the troops,’’ Fernandes said in Bangalore. ‘‘But we are taking several diplomatic initiatives to explain our stand to the international community and expect some action from Pakistan.’’
Mr Blair and US President George Bush insist they want the dispute resolved through talks, but India has said it sees no room for negotiation unless it is convinced Pakistan has really turned against terrorism.
‘‘Our fight against terrorism has entered a decisive phase,’’ Indian Home Minister Lal Advani said today before leaving for a six day visit to the US.
‘‘If democracy is the prime target of terrorism, then people of the two largest democracies of the world must understand this,’’ he said. ‘‘This is the purpose of my visit.’’
