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India Says Pakistan Border Restraint Not Good Enough For Kashmir Talks
by Pratap Chakravarty
NEW DELHI (AFP) - India on Sunday said Pakistan's offer of military restraint at the volatile Kashmir border was not enough to launch peace talks with its estranged neighbor.
Defense Minister George Fernandes, at a news conference in Bangalore, asked Pakistan to elaborate on its surprise offer of "maximum restraint" on the disputed border, the site of frequent artillery battles between the two rival armies.
"It's high time they did it [and] who would not welcome a move of that nature but when they say restraint, what exactly do they mean?" Fernandes asked.
He insisted Pakistan must halt its alleged support to cross-border "terrorism" before calling for talks with archrival India.
"If there is genuine stopping of firing from the other side and influx of terrorists, then I believe we should be going in a direction which will help the people of Kashmir and also perhaps enable us to sit and talk."
India accuses Pakistan of arming and training Kashmir's Muslim groups. Islamabad denies the charge but extends moral and diplomatic support to what it describes as the Kashmiris' just struggle for self-expression.
Islamabad on Saturday night said, "With immediate effect, the Pakistan armed forces deployed along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir will observe maximum restraint."
The initiative followed an Indian ceasefire offer for the holy month of Ramadan in Kashmir, which went into effect midnight Monday and barring a bumpy start, has so far not been seriously fractured by groups opposed to the truce.
Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani joined Fernandes' calls, saying Pakistan should first prove its sincerity by honoring India's historic ceasefire in Kashmir.
"The government is trying to know the truth behind yesterday's [Saturday's] announcement by Pakistan," Advani told reporters in the northern city of Ajmer.
"The neighboring country should [also] curb infiltration across the border, give up pseudo-war against India, and stop training terrorists to prove its sincerity," he said.
Defense minister Fernandes, however, conceded that in recent days cross-border firing from Pakistan on Indian posts in Kashmir has fallen.
"But there have been cases where fire from small arms were directed against India, and in two cases, there had been heavy firing by Pakistan.
"But nowhere have we retaliated. So, when they speak of restraint, it means they have to stop even that. I hope they intend to stop that," the firebrand defense minister said.
Fernandes also argued that Pakistan would have to take more steps besides suspending firing to normalize relations with India.
"For talks to begin, India has consistently said that Pakistan should first stop firing from across the border and fold up training camps for terrorists who it subsequently sends to India.
"There has to be normalization of that level before we can sit down and talk," Fernandes insisted.
Islamabad Saturday said it was willing to open "meaningful dialogue" with India and suggested that Kashmir's Hurriyat Conference, an umbrella of political groups, hold talks with Pakistan and India separately to pave the way for a tripartite dialogue.
Indian analysts Sunday said Pakistan's surprise offer was at best a tiny step forward, and more likely aimed at deflecting global criticism of its alleged support of cross-border “terrorism”.
Kashmiri leaders, however, felt the Indian ceasefire and the Pakistani offer could finally result in peace talks.
India and Pakistan, who have fought three wars, dispute the ownership of divided Kashmir. An insurgency in the state's Indian zone has left 34,000 people dead since 1989.
Fernandes, speaking of the Indian ceasefire, hinted the truce could well be extended beyond Ramadan if Kashmir enjoyed a month of peace.
"It depends on what happens. I don't think we can make a positive statement on that at this point of time," he said
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