Stop chanting Kashmir, PM tells Pakistan

By Neena Vyas

AMRITSAR, NOV. 2. The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, today told Pakistan in no uncertain terms that it should stop chanting `Kashmir, Kashmir' while he forcefully stated that he had refused to meet Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan President, (in New York) ``because no purposeful dialogue can be held in today's situation'' in which cross-border terrorism continues unabated.

Addressing a modest gathering of BJP workers in Amritsar where earlier in the day the party began its two-day national executive committee meeting, Mr. Vajpayee dwelt mostly on terrorism, Kashmir and Pakistan. In fact, he hardly touched the subject of the impending Assembly elections in Punjab early next year for which his speech was expected to enthuse them.

``Maine milne se inkar kiya hai,'' (I have refused to meet Gen. Musharraf) he said, virtually charging Pakistan with reneging on the Shimla and Lahore agreements. ``We, in India believe in democracy, our government is bound by agreements with another countries even if entered into by a previous Government,'' he emphasised, adding that Gen. Musharraf wanted a dialogue with India to begin with where the Agra summit ended. ``If Pakistan thinks it can forcibly occupy Kashmir, it is mistaken,'' he said with emphasis.

Going over the whole story of his association with Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookherjee's agitation against the permit system prevalent in Kashmir immediately after Independence, Mr. Vajpayee insisted that Pakistan must realise that Kashmir was an inseparable part of India, although for Pakistan it may be just a piece of land. The argument of religion, the fact that the valley had a Muslim majority was false, he said, because Bangladesh which broke away from Pakistan had proved that religion could not be a factor for determining nationhood.

The basic condition for peace with Pakistan was terrorism must stop. ``The two neighbours can talk about trade, about dealing with poverty, about development of the region, and also Kashmir, but the continuous chant of `Kashmir, Kashmir' must end. (Pakistan ko Kashmir ki rut band karni hogi)''.

He went over the ``betrayal'' of Kargil after Lahore, and said it is not yet known for certain whether Pakistan's then government or Nawaz Sharif was aware that preparations were afoot for Kargil even as he was ``singing the friendship tune''.

For some reason, the Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, who was present and billed to speak, did not address the workers, but party president, Mr. Jana Krishnamurthy did.

Earlier, opening the national executive, Mr. Krishnamurthy dwelt on the need for labour reforms, appealed to the opposition parties to support POTO and cooperate in the fight against terrorism, and suggested to the Government that banks and other institutions should be made to keep their commitment to pay rates of interest on older fixed deposits.His tone towards the Government was conciliatory, unlike at the Delhi national executive where he had asked the Government to come up with a code of ethics for ``re-induction'' of those who had earlier left the NDA. Mr. Krishnamurthy was sharply critical of Bangladesh suggesting that it had failed to provide security to the Hindu minority which had again started immigrating to India.

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