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We won't start war, Pakistan general vows©Associated PressMay 28, 2002 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, said Monday that Pakistan would not initiate war over the disputed province of Kashmir, but he stopped short of promising a further crackdown on Islamic militants in a speech unlikely to mollify either India or the international community. In a nationally televised address, Musharraf said Pakistan would not fire the first shot, "but if war is thrust upon us, every Muslim is bound to respond in kind" and would "fight to the last drop of blood." A million troops are deployed on both sides of the Line of Control in Kashmir, and Pakistan ratcheted up the pressure over the weekend with two missile tests that it said were unrelated to the current dispute. India has blamed Pakistani-backed extremists for two major attacks over the past five months. The Indian army said Monday it has killed or wounded 230 Pakistani soldiers over the past 10 days in Kashmir. Pakistan's military said that it killed 40 Indian soldiers on Sunday alone and that Indian shelling killed nine civilians and injured 25 on the Pakistani side Monday, when the two countries exchanged heavy mortar, artillery and machine-gun fire. Wearing his military uniform, Musharraf said Pakistan has taken "bold steps" on Kashmir, referring to a Jan. 12 speech in which he banned five Islamic militant groups. About half of the 2,000 people arrested in an ensuing crackdown remain in custody, but President Bush and other world leaders have told Musharraf that he should do more to prevent cross-border incursions into Indian territory for terrorism. Musharraf offered a formula for peace, calling for a de-escalation of tensions on the border, initiation of a process of dialogue, cessation of "atrocities" by India in Kashmir and permission for international media and aid organizations to enter the region and see the situation on the ground. Omer Abdullah, India's junior foreign minister, said India and Pakistan had nothing to discuss. "What will we talk about? ... Pakistan knows what we expect and Pakistan knows what we are capable of doing to get what we want. It is as simple as that," Abdullah said. "It is for Pakistan to dismantle its machine of terrorism, it is for Pakistan to stop cross-border infiltration, it is for Pakistan to hand over people on the list of 20 given to Pakistan," Abdullah said, referring to a list of people that India wants Pakistan to arrest. "Then we will de-escalate."
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From the AP |
