The Hindu : `Musharraf's remarks disappointing'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 15, 2003

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`Musharraf's remarks disappointing'

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI June 14. India today said that it was "deeply disappointed" with some of the comments made by the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, in his interview to NDTV. "The most distressing were the comments on Kargil and the implication that military adventurism of that nature is a legitimate instrument for furthering Pakistan's designs on Jammu and Kashmir," the Foreign Office said in a statement tonight.

Referring to the latest peace initiative taken by the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, the statement said: "How can a peace initiative go forward in the face of such a signal of non-peaceful intent.''

The release, however, said that New Delhi "will continue'' with its "recent efforts'' that have found a "tremendous resonance'' among the people and civil society in PakistanThe Foreign office said the "important first steps'' (towards rapprochement with Pakistan) that have been taken need to be carefully nurtured and built upon through further action in ending infiltration and terrorism, so that the two countries could progressively move towards dialogue. ``This requires restraint and maturity in addressing sensitive issues in India-Pakistan relations,'' the statement said.

It was also unfortunate that Gen. Musharraf had totally denied the significance and impact of the universally acknowledged success of the elections in Jammu and Kashmir. "Facts cannot be wished away by denials.''

``President Musharraf has himself referred to the lack of trust between the two countries. It is clear that the first step should be to expand economic and cultural cooperation, and people-to-people contact to generate an atmosphere of understanding, trust and confidence. His dismissal of the importance of these steps only shows the vicious circle in which India-Pakistan relations have got trapped,'' it said.

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