M A I N   N E W S

Clinton, PM express outrage
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, March 21 — The massacre of 35 persons at Chatti Singpora in the Kashmir valley last night had its echo in talks between US President, Bill Clinton and the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee today with both leaders expressing outrage over the incident.

“I think this is a horrible development in Kashmir. But unfortunately it is becoming all too common around the world”, the visiting President told newspersons after his one-to-one talks with Mr Vajpayee at Hyderabad House here.

Mr Clinton also referred to the incident when he met the Prime Minister at the ceremonial welcome ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan this morning.

Mr Vajpayee described the massacre as a “brutal and an outrageous act” adding this was not the first time.

He said such acts took place whenever there was anything positive taking place between India and Pakistan and recalled that such an incident had occurred when he had visited Lahore in February last year.

Mr Clinton said the incident had figured during his talks on the issue of terrorism with Prime Minister Vajpayee and “I expressed my outrage to the Prime Minister on the targeting of Sikhs in Kashmir”.

He however, said the massacre did not come up in the overall context of terrorism as it had happened only last night. He however, refused to be drawn into a controversy on whether Pakistan was behind the act saying “We have to know who did it”.

Speaking in a larger context, Mr Clinton said, “Targeting of innocent civilians is the worst thing about modern conflicts to the extent to which more and more people seem to believe it is legitimate to target innocent civilians to reach their larger political goals.

He said there was a need to reduce incidence of violence against civilians to prevent incidents like this in the future.

The US Press Secretary also issued a statement on behalf of the US Government expressing outrage over the incident. “On behalf of the President and all Americans, let me express our outrage at the attack on a village in Kashmir last night. Our most profound sympathies go out to the victims of this brutal massacre. Our thoughts and prayers are with the survivors and families”, the statement said.

Mr Vajpayee, in his remarks on the incident, said the brutal massacre of 35 Sikhs in Jammu and Kashmir last night was “further evidence of the ethnic cleansing that has been under way for a decade and is part of a pattern that we have experienced earlier, including during my visit to Lahore last year.”

Mr Vajpayee said the attempt at cloaking acts of terrorism in the guise of “Jehad” carries no conviction. “We and the international community reject the notion that Jehad can be a part of any civilised country’s foreign policy”.

“None should doubt the determination of the people of India to safeguard the secular unity of our society. Together we have defeated all such challenges in the past and we shall do so again. We have the means and the will to eliminate this menace”, Mr Vajpayee said in his concluding remarks.

UNI adds: President K.R. Narayanan described the massacre of 35 innocent Sikhs by terrorists as yet another “vile example of cross-border terrorism.”

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, at present in the capital, described the killing as a most barbaric and inhuman act which demonstrated the level of frustration and scant respect for humanity by the agency across the border engineering such acts.

Home Minister L.K.Advani expressed profound grief at the gruesome massacre and said it was a “deliberate design to cleanse the valley of all minorities.”

Amarinder visits massacre site
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 21 — The Punjab Congress President, Capt Amarinder Singh, rushed to the Chati Singhpora village, near Pahalgam where around 35 Sikhs were killed last night. On getting information about the massacre he rushed to the spot from Delhi.

Capt Amarinder Singh visited the families of the deceased in Chati Singhpora village and expressed sorrow on this unfortunate incident. He mourned the killings of innocent Sikhs and their families. He assured the widows and other members of the grieved families all possible help that he can provide. He termed this as a shameful and cowardly act of militants. He apprehended it to be a game plan of Pakistan to create differences among Sikh and Muslim communities. He asked Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister to provide adequate security to Sikh families in this area. He also demanded that the Central and state governments give adequate financial help.