'The Season For Kite Flying In Pakistan'

Question: Was there any nuclear test conducted last night?

Nirupama Rao: I am sorry to disappoint you, I don’t have any such information toprovide. You will have noted the fact that we have rejected these accusations,these allegations, as absolutely false, without foundation, totally baseless.This is obviously the season for kite flying in Pakistan.

Question: President Musharraf has again suggested that Kashmir is the centerissue between India and Pakistan, any comments?

Nirupama Rao:  Well, you know our position on that. The only way for resolutionon the outstanding issues between India and Pakistan is through bilateraldialogue between the two countries. There is absolutely no room, no space, noneed for third party intervention, mediation or for that matter of role of anyother country in this process.

Question: Is the Government of India going to ask Pakistan to handover OmarSheikh?

Nirupama Rao: Well, we are still studying the reports that are coming in on this issueand obviously we will need to make an assessment based on all the inputs that wereceive and once these are received obviously we will decide on what steps weneed to take on this matter. The fact is that he is a known terrorist and he isguilty of various terrorist crimes committed while he was in India and we hadknown for quite sometime that he had received safe haven in Pakistan and thefact that now he has been apprehended and is in the custody of the Pakistaniauthorities, would only serve to vindicate what we have been saying all alongabout his being in Pakistan for all this time.

Question: Regarding Aftab Ansari, that there is nexus between Omar and Aftab?Any comments?

Nirupama Rao: I don’t want to speculate on what, how this is going to evolve andwhat the eventualities might be. At this moment I think it would not beappropriate for me to speculate on that kind of eventuality. But the authoritiesare seized of these issues. As I said he has a distinct terrorist profile, thisOmar Sheikh.

Question: Since President Musharraf’s speech in POK Assembly, do you thinkPakistan is going back?

Nirupama Rao: Well, certainly the statements that he made with reference to the socalled Kashmir Solidarity Day Speech that he made, it seems to us that he wasplaying yesterday’s record, it was, as it were, the same tired refrain that weheard once again and it seems that the 12th January, 2002 speech really hadn’ttaken place if you listen to his speech of the 5th February, 2002. To us it didsignify a regression into the past. On top of that you have these, what I mightsay these timed release capsules of diversionary propaganda from Pakistan.

Question: Pakistan has been blaming India all along. Are we countering it?

Nirupama Rao: I think we are countering it obviously, we are putting across our pointof view on each and every one of these accusations and I think India’s voiceis being heard and I think more importantly you should note that within theinternational arena itself I don’t think anybody is taking these claimsseriously. So I think there’s a credibility factor here.

Question: Credibility is low?

Nirupama Rao: Credibility of Pakistan? That is precisely what we mean