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Pakistan stalling for time, says external affairs ministry

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Islamabad is making peace moves only to gain time to send more intruders across the Line of Control, external affairs ministry officials said today.

They told rediff.com that the telephone calls by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief to his Indian counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee stressing the need to preserve peace and stability in the region are not matched by actions.

That is why Vajpayee told Sharief yesterday that India would be convinced of Pakistan's good intentions only if the Pakistani intruders and mercenaries withdrew from the positions they have occupied in Kargil.

The officials, however, said New Delhi would never close its channels of communication with Islamabad on the Kargil issue.

They said New Delhi had fresh evidence that Pakistani forces were preparing to push more intruders in at various points along the LoC, but said the Indian defence forces are ready for any eventuality.

The officials, however, did not identify the possible points of entry, just stating there had been no further violations of the LoC so far.

After being rebuffed by the international community, Islamabad is apparently hoping to convince the G-8 that the LoC had not been demarcated and that Kashmir remains disputed territory.

Also, Islamabad has not abandoned hopes for intervention by the United Nations Organisation.

India, on its part, has shared crucial information with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council about the build-up of Pakistani troops along the LoC in an attempt to push more intruders into Kargil.

The officials also denied the likelihood of China intervening in Kashmir, pointing out that China had not come to Pakistan's aid even during the 1965 and 1971 wars.

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