The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Friday, May 24, 2002, Chandigarh, India

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Translate words into action, Pak told
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 23
India tonight sought action from Pakistan rather than words and expressed scepticism over President Pervez Musharraf’s statement that Islamabad must stop sending terrorists into India in a bid to avert a war.

Briefing newsmen after a crucial Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting here, which continued for over an hour at the Prime Minister’s residence, External Affairs Minister in company of Defence Minister George Fernandes said, “it is similar to his (Musharraf’s) announcement made during his January 12 speech. We wish to see its translation into action”.

The adopting of a soft approach actually reflected India’s view of giving still more time to the Pakistani President to turn his words into action.

Mr Jaswant Singh said he did not want to make any assessment on Gen Musharraf’s latest statement. “We go by examples of conduct.”

He said the CCS reviewed the overall security situation in view of the Indo-Pakistan border tensions, heightened by the May 14 massacre at Kaluchak near Jammu, blamed on Pak-based terrorists.

“The CCS reviewed the situation and assessed reports from various agencies,” Mr Jaswant Singh said adding this was necessary since the Prime Minister was in Jammu and Kashmir for three days and the Defence Minister was away to forward locations in Rajasthan.

The CCS met shortly after Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee arrived here after a three-day tour of Jammu and Kashmir.

Check infiltration into valley, USA tells Pak

Washington, May 23
Acknowledging that an end to the infiltration of militants into Kashmir was central to the reduction of tensions between India and Pakistan, the USA has called on Islamabad to do everything it can to achieve that goal.

Describing the intensification of shelling on the Indo-Pakistan border as dangerous, State Department spokesman Phillip Reeker said, “The only way to reduce tension and resolve disputes is through dialogue.”

But, he conceded that “an important component of the process, of course, is an end to infiltration into Kashmir.” “We have said this before, and we continue to call upon Pakistan to do all it can to achieve that objective.”

Meanwhile, at the Pentagon, Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, expressed concern over the impact of Indo-Pak war on the US-led war on terrorism and said he would speak to Defence Minister George Fernandes over telephone to discuss the situation.

“The message clearly to everyone is that it is a dangerous situation, that our hope and all of our efforts are aimed at encouraging them to lessen the tension along the border, both in Kashmir and elsewhere,” Mr Rumsfeld told reporters. UNI

Pak to withdraw troops from western border

Islamabad, May 23
In a setback to the US-led war against terrorism, Pakistan today decided to withdraw its troops from the western borders and deploy them on its border with India.

This has been done in the wake of the prevailing tension between the two countries. UNI