NEW DELHI, Dec 2 — In a tame response to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s offer of unilateral cessation of combat operations against the militants in Jammu and Kashmir during the fasting month of Ramzan, Pakistan sought to appease the western powers by disclosing today that it will observe “maximum restraint” along the Line of Control (LOC).

Even as the Prime Minister’s office and the Ministry of External Affairs are keenly awaiting the text of Pakistan Foreign Secretary Inamul Haque’s statement before offering any comments, regional experts outside the government viewed Gen Pervez Musharraf’s military regime’s fresh move as yet another “ploy” because of the mounting pressure from the USA, Britain and other powers to contain cross border terrorism.

These experts and avid Pakistan watchers emphasised that Mr Haque’s announcement once again failed to carry conviction that Islamabad is genuinely reciprocating Mr Vajpayee’s gesture especially as there "is no mention of stopping cross-border terrorism."

"Mandarins in the imposing South Block which houses the PMO and the Ministry of External Affairs are acutely aware that Pakistan has been actively encouraging cross-border terrorism and it has done precious little to contain the menace. Then, there is nothing in Mr Haque’s announcement to even remotely suggest that steps are being taken by Islamabad to reign in these militant outfits," noted these sources. Having pushed Pakistan to the wall by its unilateral offer of ceasefire in a renewed bid to find a negotiated settlement to the protracted Kashmir tangle, New Delhi had no doubt that Islamabad will have to respond especially it was getting increasingly isolated internationally.

It is only natural that South Block is waiting to go through Mr Haque’s statement minutely before responding to the points raised. At the same time official sources said there are some aspects in the announcement made in Islamabad which appears to put a spoke in the fresh peace initiative.

While alluding to observance of maximum restraint along the LOC, Mr Haque struck a jarring note by saying that "most militant groups close to Pakistan have termed India’s ceasefire offer a public relations ploy and vowed to continue attacks on Indian security forces."

Certain sections in the Vajpayee government are convinced that even as efforts are on to maintain maximum restraint along the LOC, Islamabad has given the thumbs up sign to the militant organisations operating out of its soil to step up violence in J and K with the specific intent of blunting New Delhi’s ceasefire offer.

Mr Haque also said that Pakistan is prepared for tripartite dialogue with India and the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC). New Delhi has been stressed in unambiguous terms that the problem in J and K is an internal matter of this country and rejected outright involving Islamabad in any tripartite talks for resolving the problem.

Meanwhile, information gleaned from various agencies in the NDA government revealed that militants aided and abetted by Pakistan are planning to strike in J and K and other places in a big way on December 14 to scuttle Mr Vajpayee’s ceasefire offer.