'The Epicentre Of International Terrorism Is Located In Pakistan'

Ms. Nirupama Rao: Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this afternoon's Press Conference with the honourableMinister of External Affairs, Shri Jaswant Singh. The Minister will make a statement and thereafter, he willtake your questions.

As we have stated before, please identify yourself while asking your question and mention the organizationwhich you belong to.

Shri Jaswant Singh: Thank you ladies and gentlemen of the press.His Excellency Gen. Pervez Musharraf'stelevision address of May 27 is both disappointing and dangerous. Disappointing, as it merely repeats someearlier assurances which remain unfulfilled till today, and dangerous because through belligerent posturingtension has been added to, not reduced. Evading altogether the central issue of Pakistan's promotion ofterrorism, the General, unfortunately engaged instead in an offensive and tasteless revilement of India. Agreat pity this, for it contradicts his expressed desire for peace and mocks the expectations of most of theinternational community by flouting current international commitments against terrorism. Gen. Musharraf hasdisappointingly spelt out no measures for stopping this lethal export of terrorism from Pakistan. Mere verbaldenials, about the Line of Control are untenable, for they run against facts on the ground.

Let the world recognize that today the epicentre of international terrorism is located in Pakistan. Terroriststargeting not just India but other countries too, receive support from state structures within Pakistan. Thecurrent war against terrorism will not be won decisively until their base camps inside Pakistan are closedpermanently.

Gen. Musharraf has nevertheless voiced a desire for peace. It is in his hands to attain it. Let him simplyfulfill the assurances that he has himself given all these months. India will reciprocate.

In the meantime the Government of India will continue to take such measures as are necessary.

Mr. Vijay Naik, Sakal Papers:You have described the statement of Mr. Musharraf as dangerous and disappointing. In the light of what youhave said, do you see a possibility of a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan? I say this becauseeverybody today is talking of not only conflict but a nuclear conflict also.

Shri Jaswant Singh: No, we are certainly not talking of it. When you say 'everybody', India has not talked ofit. India is not talking about it now. I do acknowledge and I acknowledge it with some disappointment thatGen. Musharraf, and some of the Ministers in his Government, I might not name them, through various statementsand interviews -- Gen. Musharraf for example in an interview to Der Spiegel - and others have spoken verycasually about nuclearisation. This tantamounts to nuclearisation of terrorism. And in this we see an exampleof how promotion of terrorism and the threat of nuclear weapons is being held simultaneously. Theinternational community has to take note of the seriousness of these two dangers. India has not ever spoken ofnuclear weapons. India's policy in this regard is clear, unambiguous and explicit. It is - 'no first use'. Andthat remains the country's policy.

Mr. Rakesh Kapur, Punjab Kesri: Mr. Minister, you have just said that the danger of a nuclear war might arise.

Shri Jaswant Singh: No, I did not say so.

Mr. Rakesh Kapur, Punjab Kesri: You said that India's policy is clear and that we will not initiatewar against anybody. But the biggest question that has arisen is, 'Hasn't the Kashmir issue gone back to thesituation of 1947 and 1948?' Hasn't Kashmir become a tripartite issue?

Shri Jaswant Singh: No.

Mr. Rakesh Kapur, Punjab Kesri:  How, Sir?

Shri Jaswant Singh: If I have to give you the whole analysis, the entire Press Conference will have to bedevoted to it.

Ms. Jyoti Malhotra, Indian Express: Sir, you said right at the end of your statement that it is nowin Gen. Musharraf's hand to attain this peace and that India would not hesitate to take these measures. Whatare these measures? What do we want from him?

Shri Jaswant Singh: I have said that it is really for Gen. Musharraf to implement, to act upon, what he hashimself given as international commitments. Not simply assurances subject to India, it is internationalcommitments. And they are not born of 1373. It is about abjuring violence, it is about completely stoppinginfiltration across the Line of Control, giving up terrorism as an instrument of State policy, disbandingterrorist training camps, and to cease financing and providing infrastructural support for terrorists andtheir organizations, also the whole question of the 20 Indian criminals and others who are taking shelter inPakistan and their handing over. These are some things that have been spoken of for a very long time. It isreally up to Gen. Musharraf to act on this because this is very much in the realm of acting against terrorism.

How much time are you going to give?

Shri Jaswant Singh: It would be difficult for me to go into time specifics. Sufficient time has alreadyelapsed in this regard. Let me ladies and gentlemen, share with all of you the concern that India has. 

On the 1st of October 2001, theState Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir was attacked. We were then advised that there was going to be action onthe part of the Government of Pakistan and there should, therefore, from India's side be restraint andpatience. 

There was then 13th of December. In between, I do not want to go into other incidents that tookplace. On 13th of December took place an attack on the Parliament of India. Yet again we were told, 'Pleaseexercise restraint.' 

On January 12, Gen. Pervez Musharraf made many statements. He took certain actionsbetween 12th and 15th; some terrorist camps were shut down; certain organizations were banned; about 2000people were arrested. Those camps have come up again. Of those 2000, you know very well how many have beenreleased already. You know very well that the head of Jaish-e-Mohammed, Azhar Masood, lives in his ownbungalow, and is paid Rs.10,000 a month by the Government of Pakistan. 

After the Karachi killings, some morearrests take place. Then comes Kaluchak. It is very important to realize that India cannot continue to bepenalized for its patience. When, therefore, you asked me about time, you are not being fair to the patience andrestraint that India has already and consistently, well before October 1, continued to demonstrate. 

And afterall, October 1 was barely 20 days after September 11.

Dr. Manas Banerjee, Dainik Agradoot, Assam: Both United States and … involved with India?

Shri Jaswant Singh: No, I don't think so.

What is the limit of patience? The Prime Minister said at least five times in the recent past thathe was running out of patience. How long is his patience going to last? Many people have begun to think thatthese are just words.

Shri Jaswant Singh: Yours is not a question. It is really a statement.

I am asking how long this patience will last?

Shri Jaswant Singh: You are asking me to give an empirical measure of India's patience.

Mr. Ajay Kumar Aaj Tak: You said that there are many camps in Pakistan in which training isbeing imparted to terrorists and terrorism is being exported from there to other countries including India,and that they should be destroyed.

Shri Jaswant Singh: I said that they should be closed permanently. I did not use the word 'destroy'.

Mr. Ajay Kumar Aaj Tak: Yes. In this backdrop, is India thinking of taking any action from itsside? What is India thinking of doing? What tough measures are being thought of?

Shri Jaswant Singh: What tough measures am I thinking of? - The statement that I am giving in itself is ameasure being taken. What tough measures will I take? - I do not think this in itself is a serious question.If I start detailing the steps - whether you call them soft steps or tough steps - on television and in the press, then the steps would no longer have anysignificance.

Mr. Anurag Tomar, Sahara TV: In yesterday's speech of President Musharraf also it has been seenthat Pakistan has been constantly rubbishing the evidence which has been provided by India saying it is notsufficient. Specifically if we were to mention December 13 attack and Kaluchak, it has been said again thatevidence being provided is kind of superficial and does not say much. What is the gravity and authenticity of thisevidence as we have shared it with other countries also? What do they have to say about this?

Shri Jaswant Singh: Are you interrogating me for evidence, or are you corroborating what Gen. Musharraf hassaid as not sufficient? Have you seen the evidence?

Mr. Anurag Tomar, Sahara TV: I have not.

Shri Jaswant Singh: Then how do you say what Gen. Musharraf has said is correct and it is not sufficient?

Mr. Anurag Tomar, Sahara TV: What we actually wanted to understand was the gravity and authenticityof this evidence as it has been shared by other countries also. What do thy have to say on this?

Shri Jaswant Singh: Gravity is for Pakistan to recognize. Authenticity is documentation, photographs,fingerprints, identification, names, parentage, address in Pakistan, provided to the authorities in Pakistan.

I must say that I am not a very avid television viewer and my favourite activity in the evening is actuallynot to watch foreign dignitaries give speeches on television. So, I take it as correct that what you say aboutGeneral sahab - as you put it colourfully - rubbishing the evidence given. I don't know if he has actuallyrubbished it. Whether it was December 13 or it is now Kaluchak, the full facts were provided. Subsequentlyafter Kaluchak, in Rajouri there is interrogation because there is now a terrorist who is apprehended and hehas clearly said, I am from Kotli, this is my name, this is my address and this was the task that was given tome. This has all been provided. I am sorry that you share the General's views, but that is your freedom.

Mr. Minister, you have a habit of cutting short your replies. In order to preempt that, I would liketo put my question in two parts. One is, what is your reaction to Gen. Musharraf's interview to the WashingtonPost before he made that speech? The other is, he has suggested that Abdul Gani Lone's murder is not becauseof anybody from  their side, that perhaps it is India who has done it. What is your reaction?

Shri Jaswant Singh: I will answer both. Be assured, I won't cut short my reply as you have apprehended.

So far as the interview to Steve Coll of The Washington Post is concerned, I read both Steve Coll's piecebased on the interview and thereafter the excerpts of the interview. It is not the full interview it is onlyexcerpts. The excerpts as I downloaded, ran to seven pages. 

Steve Coll is a very eminent journalist. He hasserved in this region. He knows the region very well. I cannot be not candid with you when I say that onreading the interview, I was gravely disturbed. I do not wish to go any further than that because whatever hasbeen published as excerpts stand for themselves. What has been stated there speaks for itself. Unless you,ladies and gentlemen of the press, have all read it, it would not be proper for me to go any further thansaying, I find it a deeply disturbing interview if those are only excerpts running into seven pages.

Secondly, the remark that you attribute to Gen. Pervez Musharraf about the late Abdul Ghani Lone is born ofthe same psychological mentality. I am saddened that for as heinous a crime as murder, Gen. Pervez Musharrafhas found it necessary to play this kind of politics with it. I really do not wish to say any more than this.

Mr. Deepak Chuarasia, Aaj Tak: Yesterday in his speech, the President of Pakistan has said that there are many organizations in India which are troubling the minoritiesand Scheduled Castes. He has mentioned Gujarat also in his speech. Does India see this as interference in itsinternal affairs? If Pakistan is crossing the limits of diplomatic courtesy, does India think of severing thediplomatic ties with Pakistan?

Shri Jaswant Singh: You have asked me to comment on what the General sahab has said. It is not possible for meto comment on everything. I have said in my statement that the General sahab mentioning this in itself issaddening. Better leave it here.

Coming to the question of diplomatic relations between the two countries, there is no such question now.

Ms. Anita Saluja, The Express: How would you react to the recent missile testing by Pakistan?

Shri Jaswant Singh: I think the Ministry has already given a reaction to it and it seemed to have troubled theGeneral a great deal. The Ministry has said that we are really not greatly impressed by these missile antics,particularly as they are based on either imported technology or acquired hardware.

Mr. Vinod Sharma, Hindustan Times: If you have not heard Gen. Musharraf's speech, just now you saidyou did not watch television…

Shri Jaswant Singh: I did not, actually.

Mr. Vinod Sharma, Hindustan Times: Most part of Gen. Musharraf's speech, the first ten minutes, wasfocused on the domestic politics. He was trying to justify the referendum, he was trying to get some politicalparties to talk to him, etc. Do you think it is easy for India to deal with a leader who is not sure of hisown ground in his
country? Can he really deliver on the demands that we are making out here?

Shri Jaswant Singh: Whether easy or difficult, my dear Vinod, we have to deal with the world as it is, not asit ought to be. Therefore, I deal with the Government of Pakistan as it is. I cannot wish a Government inPakistan. That is for the people of Pakistan to decide. If Gen. Pervez Musharraf had spent some time of thetelevision interview explaining his conduct, and the conduct of his officials in the recent referendum, that is his and Pakistan's internal matter. So also the question of certain political organizations in Pakistanbeing banned or not banned. That is really their look out. Who is it that we have to deal with? We have todeal with the Government of Pakistan. We have always stood for democracy. We will be very happy if democracyreturned to Pakistan.

Mr. Deepak Arora, National Herald: The Home Minister has talked about a different strategy to dealwith cross border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. What is this different strategy? Is it going to be one ofa proxy war, or war?

Shri Jaswant Singh: I am sure you don't seriously expect me to define war or have a discussion with you onalternative theories of warfare. But what my senior and distinguished colleague the Home Minister has said is,if one particular medicine does not work, then try another medicine. That is all that he has said.

Mr. Rajeev Chandrasekharan, The Washington Post: This week and the next week will bring two highprofile foreign diplomats here to Delhi. Over the past couple of weeks certainly, officials in Washington, UKand elsewhere have been engaged in quite a bit of diplomacy on this front. From your point of view, have theGovernments of the United States and the United Kingdom been applying enough pressure on Pakistan? Where is this breaking down? Are they, from your point of view, applying enough pressure? Or is that pressurejust not being, shall we say, received by Musharraf?

Shri Jaswant Singh: In regard to what you describe as high profile diplomatic visitors, India continues toreceive diplomatic visitors. You suggest that the United Kingdom and the United States of America are applyingpressure on Pakistan. Yes, we have also been told that pressure is being applied. You are enquiring of mewhether I am satisfied with the results of the pressure. I don't think it is my subjective satisfaction that ought to be of any curiousinterest by you. It is really what results we see on the ground. One of the results of what you have termed aspressure is today the three missile tests, yesterday's speech. There are all kinds of other activities engaged in by the Government of Pakistan. It is really for theUnited Kingdom and the United States of America to assess for themselves as to whether their pressure isworking. That is a stated objective of both these countries, which is, the fight against terrorism. And it isagainst terrorism that there should not be any deviation. That is for the United States and the United Kingdomto consider.

Akhilesh Suman, Rashtriya Sahara: Gen. Musharraf stated that infiltration across the border hasstopped. You are continuously saying that terrorists and infiltration is going on. Why can't we declarePakistan a terrorist state?

Shri Jaswant Singh: One question you asked is whether the infiltration is continuing or not. The infiltrationthat happens does not happen for tourism; it happens for terrorism. When we say infiltration is continuing,what example should I give to you? The month of May is yet to come to an end. 14th May - Kaluchak. Infiltratorand terrorism. After that the Rajouri incident happened. Again infiltrators and terrorists. We know havedefinite information that it is continuing and that is why we are saying so.