New Delhi, August 26
External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha today said he did not believe that Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf could not ensure the complete stoppage of infiltration across the Line of Control, thus virtually rejecting the US assertion that Islamabad was not in total control to check infiltration into India.
Addressing his first news conference since he assumed his new office about two months ago, Mr Sinha said it was impossible for terrorists to infiltrate into the state without the support of the Pakistani Army.
While pointing out contradictory remarks made by Gen Musharraf, Mr Sinha said: “If things are beyond his control, he should clearly tell us and the international community...It is in this context that India suggested joint patrolling of the border.”
Mr Sinha’s remark that “I do not believe that Gen Musharraf cannot ensure complete stoppage of infiltration across the LoC,” came in response to a question about remarks by US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage that “no one in India and Pakistan thinks that Islamabad is solely responsible for the infiltration.”
The minister ruled out the prospects of improving relations with Pakistan, saying: “The prospect of improvement of relations with our neighbour Pakistan cannot be realised in the face of the continued support provided by it to terrorism directed at India.”
He described as “inventive diplomacy” the allegations of Pakistan that India had launched a military raid in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. “Pakistan’s commitments to permanently end infiltration and cross-border terrorism have not been fulfilled and indeed the battery of false allegations accusing India of certain actions in the Gultari sector along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir in recent days, only confirms Pakistan’s unscrupulous use of false information to meet its diplomatic ends.”
The minister said the international community now agreed that nothing could justify terrorism and it accepted that Pakistan was engaged in terrorism against India. Pakistan, he said “is the only country that publicly declares its political, moral and diplomatic support to terrorist violence against India.”
Mr Sinha said after he took over as the External Affairs Minister he had visited most of the SAARC countries. Talking about Afghanistan, he said his visits to Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif and Kandahar, besides Kabul, reflected their continuing contacts and cooperation with all sections of Afghan society and regions.
