No tripartite talks: India

NEW DELHI, Dec 5, 2000 — Ruling out tripartite talks on Jammu and Kashmir, India today made clear that Pakistan needed to initiate more concrete steps, for “an environment suitable for resumption of the composite dialogue”.

In a detailed statement to Islamabad’s response to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s offer of a unilateral ceasefire of November 19, a spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs said: “We expect Pakistan to address our concerns and also those of the international community on cross-border terrorism, infiltration into India, and aiding and abetting of violence. We note that Pakistan is reaffirming its commitment to ‘earlier agreements’. That is why a clear reaffirmation and adherence to the Simla Agreement, and the Lahore Declaration would only be logical”.

Admitting that there was recognisable reduction in firing along the Line of Control and infiltration from across the border had also not taken place in any marked manner, a spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated the government’s desire to hold talks with all parties and groups in Jammu and Kashmir, including the militants.

The modalities of these talks would be decided by the Government of India, the spokesman pointed out making abundantly clear, that there was no room for “tripartite talks”.

Expressing its commitment to the peace process, the spokesman said India would remain steadfast in that approach. Upon conclusion of the month of Ramzan, the government would review the situation and announce its further course of action.

In a move to further tighten pressure on Islamabad’s military regime, India today not only ruled out “tripartite talks” on Jammu and Kashmir, but also expressed hope that Pakistan would be persuaded to cease promotion of cross-border terrorism so as to create an environment suitable for resumption of the composite dialogue.

Agreeing with Islamabad’s description of its response to Prime Minister Vajpayee’s offer of a unilateral ceasefire as “nothing new” as there was not any “basic shift in the policies of Pakistan”, the spokesman said: “We, too, do not find anything substantially different in Pakistan’s announcements from what they have earlier been saying.”

To Islamabad’s statement that their armed forces “deployed along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir will observe maximum restraint”, the spokesman said the Indian security forces had always exercised utmost restraint in the face of persistent provocation and violations of the LoC and continue to do so.

“At the same time, attempts to misuse this phase and push terrorists will be robustly met”, the spokesman warned, reiterating that “there is no role of any kind for any third party here”.

Leaving enough space for Islamabad to respond to the Indian initiative, the spokesman said the government hoped that this statement of Pakistan “is a precursor of a meaningful change in its attitude”.

New Delhi has refused to rush into the situation and has adopted a very cautious approach to the entire issue of Jammu and Kashmir, the sources said explaining the statement.

The sources said Pakistan would have to make clear in no uncertain terms its stand on the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration as this would mean abandoning the UN resolutions on Kashmir.

New Delhi would first like to assess the situation domestically before moving any further on the issue, the sources said, adding that Mr Vajpayee’s experience from his Lahore bus journey had made the government cautious.

Meanwhile, the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, today welcomed the Pakistani offer to exercise restraint at the LoC and urged the Centre to take further steps to resume dialogue with Islamabad and other parties involved in the Kashmir issue.

Describing the Pakistani offer as a step towards restoring peace in the sub-continent, Syed Bukhari said it had created a conducive atmosphere for resuming a dialogue.