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India Wants Pakistan to Help Stop Resistance Operations
NEW DELHI, July 28 (News Agencies) - India's ruling BJP on Saturday backed the government for holding peace talks with Pakistan, but said further talks should hinge on the neighboring state's stance on "terrorism" in Kashmir, the Press Trust of India reported.
"It must be clearly understood that no meaningful dialogue with Pakistan can be conducted as long as the 'holy war' mentality dominates the Pakistani establishment," the BJP party said in a resolution.
"If Pakistan continues to adopt a negative posture, the government of India should draw appropriate conclusions and plan for the future accordingly," it added.
A summit between Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee earlier this month failed to issue a joint declaration with a territorial dispute over the divided Himalayan Kashmir state the sticking point.
Pakistan said Kashmir must be a "core" issue in any joint declaration for easing bilateral tensions.
On the other hand India, which accuses Pakistan of backing an armed separatist movement in Kashmir, insisted its neighbor must stop supporting resistance groups in the Himalayan state.
Pakistan has consistently denied these charges saying it extends only diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiri separatist groups.
The BJP party blamed the "obduracy, intransigence and uni-focal approach of the Pakistani side" for forcing a stalemate.
"Musharraf failed to recognize the merit of India's multi-dimensional approach and stuck to his one-point agenda," the party resolution said.
"He (Musharraf)) virtually poured cold water on any prospects of a positive outcome by his injudicious utterances. He described cross-border terrorism promoted by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir as freedom struggle," it added.
The party said Musharraf had used the visit to India just to garner electoral support in Pakistan.
"We want peace and dialogue because there is poverty in both countries, but this cannot be perceived to be a sign of our weakness. Under no circumstances would India bow down to terrorism," PTI quoted Vajpayee as telling the party members.
"It seemed that Musharraf had not come for peace talks. He was a soldier in uniform who had made his intentions clear and showed his inexperience in international affairs," he added.
The Indian severe military response to a separatist movement in Indian-held Kashmir has claimed at least 35,000 lives since its launch in 1989, but Pakistan puts the death toll at 70,000.
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