India a nuclear power: PM
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 11— The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, today asserted that India was a nuclear weapon power and disclosed that New Delhi could have conducted a sixth nuclear test at Pokhran on May 13.

Addressing a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of External Affairs, Mr Vajpayee informed members that India refrained from conducting the sixth test as it was scientifically not required.

The Prime Minister said his government decided against it as nuclear scientists were of the firm view that the five tests on May 11 and 13 were enough for validation of data and no further tests were needed.

"We were not testing for the sake of testing", Mr Vajpayee pointed out, stressing that this was an evidence of country’s long-standing commitment to global non-proliferation.

India’s nuclear weapons were no danger to any country, the Prime Minister said, adding these weapons were in the nature of a deterrent.

Giving an overview of India’s perception on the ongoing talks with key interlocutors on the nuclear issue as well as on the current Indo-Pak dialogue, Mr Vajpayee disagreed with members’ contention that no progress has been registered at the talks with Pakistan.

"There have been areas of convergence of views", he said. There is a progress though very little, he pointed out adding no rapid progress was expected.

May be in terms of projection of the Indo-Pak talks, no progress was being perceived, Mr Vajpayee said adding "it will slowly yield results.

Declining to give details of the Indo-US talks on the nuclear issue, he assured that Parliament and the nation would be taken into confidence before taking any decision. It was in an indirect reference to the CTBT, informed sources said.

India is a nuclear weapon power, the Prime Minister said, adding New Delhi was not seeking any recognition of this status from anyone. "We are a nuclear weapon state and while talking to key interlocutors, this fact was the part of the paradigm", he said.

A member asked as why the present government was not evolving a consensus towards signing the CTBT as the former Prime Minister, Mr I.K. Gujral had done against signing it.

The Prime Minister said the government was talking to every one.

Issue of economic sanctions also figured at the meeting regarding which Mr Vajpayee said this factor had been taken into account.

To a member's suggestion of giving an ultimatum to Pakistan for interfering in the internal affairs of Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Vajpayee said India was committed to the Simla Agreement and there was no question of issuing an ultimatum to Pakistan.

Pak a terrorist state: Advani

LUCKNOW, Nov 11 (PTI) — "India regards Pakistan as a terrorist state," Union Home Minister L.K. Advani today said and rejected a suggestion to make a formal declaration in this regard before the international community.

"Such a declaration should in fact come from those countries which have laws to deal with the kind of situation India was facing from cross-border terrorism," he told reporters here.

"What we need is to create a public opinion on this count," Mr Advani said.

Expressing concern over the growing menace of terrorism in the country, the Home Minister said the states should enact laws on the pattern of Tamil Nadu to deal with the problem.

Tamil Nadu had enacted earlier this year the Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act following the Coimbatore serial blasts enabling the government to ban the activities of any organisation indulging in terrorism.

Mr Advani said the Centre was considering giving more powers to the police to tackle the problem, "but the states, too, should enact laws to deal with it effectively on the lines of Tamil Nadu".

On the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the Home Minister said infiltration of militants from across the border continued in Pir-Panjal terrain, but it had been checked in Rajasthan and Punjab.

Mr Advani said the Centre making a fresh recommendation to the President for the imposition of central rule in Bihar could not be ruled out as "lawlessness" still prevailed in the state.

"We still consider that there is lawlessness in Bihar and sending of a fresh recommendation by the Union Cabinet can not be ruled out," Mr Advani told a press conference here.

The Centre’s assessment of the situation was based on reports from Bihar, he said recalling the Patna High Court’s recent strictures against the state government that there was no rule of law in the state.

On Bihar Governor Sunder Singh Bhandari’s meeting with him yesterday, Mr Advani said the Governor had briefed him on the law and order situation, especially on the recent Jehanabad killings.

The Home Minister made it clear that the Cabinet would not return its earlier recommendation which was referred back to it by the President.

On revelations about Romesh Sharma, alleged frontman of Dubai-based Don Dawood Ibrahim, Mr Advani said this showed that India had become a "soft ground" for criminal activities.

"This clearly indicates how soft the Indian state has become," he said, adding "there are many countries which while remaining democratic deal firmly with such persons."

Mr Advani said the CBI had been asked to look into all allegations in Romesh Sharma’s case and submit a report to the government at the earliest.

"We are, however, not going to use this for any political mileage, but regard information in the case as very vital for national security."

Bid to seek C’wealth mediation
India flays Pak move on Kashmir

LONDON, Nov 11 (PTI) — India has objected to Pakistan’s attempt to seek Commonwealth mediation for the resolution of the Kashmir issue and said there is no scope for such an endeavour in the light of the Simla Agreement.

Pakistan High Commissioner to Britain Mian Riaz Samee, breaking conventions, on Monday invited Commonwealth chief Emeka Anyaoku to the Indian subcontinent and urged him to use his good offices to help resolve the issue.

Mian Riaz Samee was addressing a Commonwealth senior officials’ meeting reviewing the implementation of mandates of the last Commonwealth Heads of States, summit held in Edinburgh.

Indian High Commissioner Lalit Mansingh promptly took the floor to categorically state that there was no scope for any third-party mediation or intervention on the issue.

He reminded the gathering that it was against the Commonwealth spirit to raise bilateral matters.

Pakistan used similar tactics at the recent UN General Assembly meeting when it invited the intervention of Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Kashmir.

Asserting that Kashmir was a legal and inalienable part of India, Mr Mansingh drew the attention of the Commonwealth gathering to the Simla Agreement of 1972, by which India and Pakistan had committed themselves to settling all outstanding issues bilaterally.

He said India was strictly abiding by the agreement.

The Indian High Commissioner said the Pakistani move was “unfortunate”, particularly as it came at a time when senior officials from the two countries were meeting in New Delhi to iron out differences on bilateral issues.

Calling for Commonwealth support to India’s efforts to resolve all differences with its neighbours through bilateral talks, he asked the Commonwealth to take more vibrant action to implement the Edinburgh CHOGM call for international action to combat the menace of terrorism.