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What’s behind nuclear threat by Musharraf?
Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 7
The Vajpayee government feels that domestic compulsions and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s personal agenda are the real reasons behind his threat to use nuclear weapons against India as a last resort.

New Delhi is not surprised by General Musharraf’s remarks and finds it a reiteration of Islamabad’s already-stated position.

Asked to comment on General Musharraf’s unprovoked comment in an interview to German magazine “Der Spiegel” published today, a key official of the Union Government told The Tribune today that “If a day like that (Pakistan using nuke weapons against India) were to come ever, Pakistan would cease to exist from that very day.”

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was “nothing new” in the statement.

New Delhi believes that it is a deliberate posturing on part of the Musharraf regime timed to influence Pakistanis for a referendum on himself which is scheduled to be held less than a month later.

Also, it is a well known Pakistani tactic to stave off diplomatic pressure generated by India’s offer of no-first-use treaty with Pakistan regarding nuclear weapons.

The official said Pakistan had been propagating its strategy that it would be forced to use the nuclear option if its very existence were to be endangered by Indian troops in the event of a full-scale war.

The Indians are aware that Pakistan may use nuke weapons against India if its unity and integrity are threatened even if by a conventional Indian attack.

That is why Pakistan has been harping on its willingness to sign a no-war pact with India and India has been rejecting it because Pakistan is not prepared to include “proxy war” within the ambit of the proposed no-war pact.

PM declines to comment
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 7
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today declined to comment on Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s threat to use nuclear weapons in the event of an armed conflict in the subcontinent.

Talking to newspersons before leaving for a five-day visit to Singapore and Cambodia, the Prime Minister dismissed the Pakistan President’s threat expressed in an interview to a German weekly, saying that “I will not like to comment till I see the entire statement.”

Pant rules out talks with Pak

Islamabad, April 7
India today ruled our any “meaningful” dialogue with Pakistan unless Islamabad acted on the list of 20 criminals and terrorists forwarded by New Delhi. Talks would not be possible unless Islamabad created conducive atmosphere”, Chairman of Planning Commission and Centre’s chief negotiator on Kashmir K.C. Pant told reporters after arriving here to take part in the SAARC ministerial conference on poverty alleviation.

Mr Pant will come face to face with President Pervez Musharraf tomorrow at the inauguration of the conference. Asked about the statement by Pakistan Finance Minister Shoukat Aziz on the possibility of an Indo-Pakistan bilateral meeting, Mr Pant said he had not been approached so far adding that that SAARC was formed to address regional problems and its charter did not permit taking up bilateral issues. PTI

Setback to ISI plan to foment trouble
M. L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 7
The ISI “plan” to revive activities of the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) in Jammu and Punjab was foiled with the arrest of operational chief of the KZF, Amrik Singh, and transborder narcotic and arms smuggler and a guide, Virender Sharma.

Giving details of the arrest and the seizure, the DGP, Mr A.K. Suri, told newspersons here today that on receipt of inputs the Jammu police arrested Virender Sharma of R.S. Pora.

He was subjected to sustained interrogation and on his information the KZF operational chief, Amrik Singh, was arrested on the outskirts of Jammu. Two more accomplices of Amrik Singh, Surinder Singh Fauji and Jasbir Singh, were also arrested.

The DGP said under instructions from the ISI the KZF activists had plans of carrying out a series of subversive activities, including bomb and grenade attacks at most crowded places, including the bus stands, railway stations and other vital installations. He said the arrested youths were involved in two major bomb explosions at Kanak Mandi in Jammu and on the railway station in the past one year.

He said the arrested maintained their links with KZF chief Ranjit Singh, alias Neeta, who is in Pakistan and is one among the 20 terrorists India has demanded extradition by Islamabad. Two of the accomplices of Neeta, Jagjit Singh and Ravinder Singh, too have been arrested.

Mr Suri confirmed that Surinder Singh was an activist of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, headed by Mufti Mohd Sayeed. In reply to a question, Mr Suri said the police was not on a witch-hunting exercise and the allegations of the Mufti that his partymen were being harassed and arrested under a plan were baseless. He said Ranjit Singh, alias Neeta, was an accomplice of Beant Singh who had been executed on charge of having assassinated Ms Indira Gandhi.

He claimed that with the arrest of six persons the backbone of the KZF had been broken. As far as the recoveries were concerned they included four AK-74 rifles, 12 pistols, RDX, hand grenades, two wireless sets and other ammunition.

Soon after the end of the press conference Surinder Singh, alias Fauji, created a scene on the premises of the police control room where he started shouting slogans. The moment the police tried to whisk him away he shouted he was innocent and was being falsely implicated as he was the district president of the PDP.

However, Virender Sharma, who was in handcuffs, volunteered his confession before newsmen. He said he had visited Pakistan where he met KZF activists, including Ranjit Singh, alias Neeta, chief of the organisation. He said his job was to smuggle arms and ammunition which was to be delivered to the KZF activists.