The Hindu : Musharraf had warned of n-war

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 31, 2002

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Musharraf had warned of n-war

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD Dec. 30. In a chilling disclosure, the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, has said he conveyed several messages to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, during the standoff between India and Pakistan earlier that if Indian forces tried to cross the border, the tension could escalate into a nuclear war.

(The spokesman of the Pakistan President, Rashid Qureshi, however, maintained that Gen. Musharraf did not talk about a nuclear war and his reference on "unconventional war" was in the context of support to the Pakistan Government from the people of Pakistan and Kashmir.)

Addressing the Air Force veterans in Karachi today, Gen. Musharraf did not use the word "nuclear" but left no one in doubt when he said that the international community should not expect a conventional war from Pakistan in case Indian forces crossed the border. ``I personally conveyed messages to (Indian) Prime Minister Vajpayee through every international leader who came to Pakistan that if Indian troops moved a single step across the international border or the Line of Control, they should not expect a conventional war from Pakistan. I believe my message was effectively conveyed to Mr. Vajpayee,'' he said.

Gen. Musharraf's statement confirms the worst suspicions of observers about South Asia as a nuclear flash-point and the urgent need for India and Pakistan to resolve their differences. Significantly, Gen. Musharraf also told the audience that after September 11 when Pakistan was facing many dangers "no country supported us and Pakistan defeated India without waging a war". He said he had successfully surmounted both the external and internal threats and now the focus would be on the alleviation of poverty.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Defence Minister, Rao Sikandar Iqbal, said India had not fully withdrawn its forces from the international border and that Islamabad had proof.

In a related development, the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, Aziz Ahmed Khan, denied reports in a section of the press about nuclear cooperation between Pakistan and North Korea. He dismissed the reports as "baseless and ridiculous". `Directed at domestic audience'

Amit Baruah reports from New Delhi:

India believes that Gen. Musharraf was addressing a domestic audience when he spoke of the "messages'' conveyed to Mr. Vajpayee that Islamabad was ready to use nuclear weapons.

Sources said Gen. Musharraf wanted to show that it was India which had "backed down" after mobilising its troops. The Army, Gen. Musharraf wanted to convey, remained the guardian of "national interest". Also, he wanted to bring the India-Pakistan issue under the spotlight once again at a time when the international community's interest in South Asia was waning. India, the sources said, was treating Gen. Musharraf's statement with disdain. He had made statements about the possibility of using nuclear weapons earlier as well, leading to a sharp response from the international community.

They pointed out that the General, in his speeches of January 12 and 27, banned organisations such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohmmad, and declared that Pakistani territory would not be used for terrorist acts. If he was so sure of Pakistan's nuclear prowess, then why did the Pakistan President take these steps following the military mobilisation mounted by India and pressure from the international community, they asked.

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