India’s ’positive tone’ just not enough

Pakistan said arch-rival India's extension of a ceasefire in Kashmir had a "positive tone" but was not enough to bring hope for an early resumption of deadlocked talks. "The latest statement falls short of a clear response to Pakistan's recent initiatives that could justify the optimism for an early start of negotiations to resolve the Kashmir issue, " Foreign Office spokesman Riaz Mohammad Khan said here yesterday.

He told reporters at a news briefing that for nearly three weeks, there had been conditional statements emanating from New Delhi, which showed a certain reluctance by India to seize an opportunity that had opened up with Pakistan's offer.

The briefing was called to respond to the statement by Premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the Upper House of Indian parliament to extend the Ramadan ceasefire and Pakistan's reciprocal offer of a partial withdrawal of troops from the Line of Control.

"India clearly needs to make up its mind on a meaningful dialogue process. Pakistan's initiative envisaged a comprehensive approach with three main features.We offered maximum restraint along the LoC and called upon India to completely abandon violence and repression.

We called for consultations with Kashmiri leadership, specifically the All Parties Hurriyat Confernce and finally we called for resumption of dialogue between Pakistan and India with the participation of Kashmiri leadership soon after Ramadan."

The spokesman said that the latest unilateral step to withdraw a part of Pakistani troops from the LoC was yet another demonstration of Islamabad's willingness to reduce tension and in line with its policy of exercising maximum restraint along the Control Line. This step should also help start a meaningful dialogue with India to address the long-standing Kashmir dispute.

However, according to the spokesman, "Pakistan's maximum restraint, and offers of ceasefire by India, are a means, not an end in themselves. The Kashmiri freedom movement seeks a permanent end to repression and a settlement of Kashmir dispute."

Asked when the decision of withdrawing part of Pakistani troops was taken and what roughly was their number, the spokesman said the ISRP statement had made clear that this was a recent step taken in view of the relative calm, which now prevailed along the LoC. But he said the number of the troops was not readily available with him.

Replying to a question about the international community's considerable pressures on India and Pakistan for the overtures made by both recently, the spokesman said "there should be absolutely no doubt about the international concerns and interests on this count."

Asked to comment on Indian prime minister's remarks in an interview that UN resolutions on Kashmir were redundant or time-barred, the spokesman said Pakistan's position was firmly based on SC resolutions, which called for a plebiscite for the right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people. These resolutions, he said, could not be invalidated or time-barred.

The spokesman said there was a suggestion that Pakistan was required to withdraw its troops from Kashmir as a condition for plebiscite. "But this is an incorrect reading of the resolutions. The modalities regarding the military presence of Pakistan and India in the disputed territory were determined and specified by the SC resolution 98 of 1952, which allowed Pakistan and India to keep between 3-6000 and from 12-18,000 troops respectively on their respective areas of control."

"Pakistan remains ready to implement these resolutions in letter and sprit. Pakistan is also committed to the Shimla Accord, which calls for the settlement of the Kashmir issue and the Lahore Declaration, which requires the parties to intensify efforts to resolve all issues including Kashmir."