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India beats jingoistic drums,
but PM rules out war
WSN Network
NEW DELHI:
After
many days of jingoism and war mongering statements, India seems to
be cooling down. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday virtually
ruled out a military conflict with
Pakistan
but asked the world community to nudge
Islamabad
to dismantle the “terror machine” in the wake of strikes on Mumbai,
which was an attack on
India’s
“ambitions to emerge as an economic power”.
Singh clearly
hinted at
Pakistan
over the Mumbai attacks as he said “non-state actors were practicing
terrorism aided and abetted by state establishments.” Addressing a
conclave of over 120 Indian Ambassadors and High Commissioners, he
said India was seeking peace and stability in its neighbourhood but
the situation was “worrisome”.
Referring to
terror strikes in Mumbai, he said these were “an attack on the
country’s ambitions to emerge as an economic power” but “India would
not accept a situation where terrorism is used as an instrument to
cripple India’s economy or the values it stands for.” Later talking
to reporters outside Parliament, Singh said India does not want war
with Pakistan but would like Islamabad to dismantle the “terror
machine” existing on its soil and the international community to use
its “power” to persuade Islamabad to do so.
“The issue is
not war. The issue s terror and territory in Pakistan being used to
provoke, to aid and abet terrorism. I think that is the issue, the
issue is not war. Nobody wants war,” he said when asked to speak on
the present standoff with Pakistan in the wake of Mumbai terror
attacks.
External Affairs
Minister Pranab Mukherjee also gave a strong message to Pakistan. He
said, “Don’t create war hysteria. Act against those responsible for
Mumbai attacks. Earlier in the day, Pakistan army chief Gen Ashfaq
Parvez Kayani reportedly assured the nation’s leadership that
Pakistan’s armed forces will mount an equal response “within
minutes” if India carries out any surgical strike inside the
country. Many Indian TV channels pounced on these remarks and said
this was Pakistan threatening war.
During a meeting
at the presidency, Kayani informed President Asif Ali Zardari about
the operational preparedness of the military in the face of mounting
tensions with India in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.
Meanwhile, Pakistan remained defiant even after arrested terrorist’s
repeated confessions to the Mumbai police and investigations by both
— international and Pakistan’s domestic media that have proved
Kasab’s identity. Dawn News television quoted Pak foreign office
sources saying, “The Indian government needs to provide ample proof
to establish Kasab’s identity.”
Meanwhile,
the Taliban said they would back the Pakistan Army by deploying
hundreds of suicide bombers in case of any military action with
India.
24 December
2008
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