'Hesitation, Frustration And Inability Of India'

In what is being seen as a direct public response to Prime Minister Vajpayee's interview to Dainik Bhaaskar,it was the Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf  turn to address his domestic constituency.

"Hightened international concerns of a nuclear conflict in South Asia, and the hesitation, frustrationand inability of India to attack Pakistan or conduct a so-called limited war, bear ample testimony to the factthat strategic balance exists in South Asia and that Pakistan's conventional and nuclear capability togetherdeter aggression," he said last night at a dinner hosted in honour of Pakistani nuclear scientists andengineers.

Claiming that the theory of deterrence has worked, Musharraf, however, did not refer to decisions taken byhis government, particularly to halt cross-border infiltration of militants, which was demanded by India.

"Despite provocations, we have demonstrated this over the last few months. We do not want war, we arefor peaceful resolution of all disputes, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir ...We have also saidthat if war is thrust on us, we will defend ourselves with all our might. Let there be no ambiguity on this.We are all for de-escalation and pull back of forces, but not at the cost of our honour and dignity. Let therenot be any ambiguity on this also.

"By testing, with outstanding success, the delivery systems of our strategic capability, these menvalidated the reliability, accuracy and the deterrence value of Pakistan's premier surface-to-surfaceballistic missiles systems of the Hatf series, namely Ghauri, Ghaznavi and Abdali.

He also said the results of the tests were a matter of pride and satisfaction for all Pakistanis as thesewere achieved through entirely indigenous efforts, "through Pakistani technology, through Pakistanibrains, by Pakistani hands and at Pakistani facilities." Stating that nations have to pay a price fortheir independence, sovereignty, freedom, honour and dignity, he, said "Pakistan has not in the past, andwill not in the future, hesitate to pay that price."

Musharraf said his government was as committed to national security as it was to economic reform andrecovery. "Nothing will deter us from making Pakistan strong both in defence and in economic terms.Without a strong defence against external and internal threats, our economic reforms would be meaningless andeconomic recovery not possible," he said.

"It was in May 1974 that India threw the nuclear gauntlet to Pakistan at Pokhran. It was in May 1998,on the 28th and 30th, that Pakistan was literally challenged into becoming the seventh nuclear power in theworld. That was the month when Pakistan had chosen to restore the strategic balance in South Asia."

"We made that choice, because in the aftermath of the Indian tests, we were being subjected to a languageof aggression and threats. Our capability was being doubted and it was being said with arrogance thatPakistan's nuclear bluff had been called."

He said that with one stroke Pakistan's deterrence was complete and the strategic balance restored. "Weneed to ensure that the three basic ingredients of this deterrence - capability, credibility and resolve -never get compromised."