ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI, 8 January — British Prime Minister Tony Blair wound up a peace mission through South Asia yesterday saying Pakistan had to get tough on terrorism and India had to be open to talks on the emotive Kashmir issue. But even as Blair flew into Pakistan on the last leg of his diplomatic swing, India ruled out any immediate talks with its longtime foe and said Islamabad first had to change its attitude toward attacks by Islamic militants on Indian soil.
Under pressure from Blair’s bid to avert a war between the nuclear rivals, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf issued his strongest statement yet against extremists, saying for the first time that Pakistan rejected all forms of terrorism.
He made no reference to what Pakistan calls the freedom fighters battling to end Indian rule in the divided Himalayan Kashmir region and what New Delhi says are the terrorists who carried the Dec. 13 attack on its parliament, after which both countries amassed troops on their border.
Violence in Kashmir has continued during the tense standoff. Pakistan said four civilians had been wounded by Indian shelling and India said 24 people were killed and 30 wounded in rebellious Indian-ruled Kashmir late on Sunday and yesterday. One Indian and five Pakistani soldiers were killed in fresh exchanges in what have become daily firefights, India said.
Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh said India was "more than satisfied" with Blair’s visit to New Delhi but said no formal talks with India were possible until Pakistan acted decisively to end what it calls "cross-border terrorism". "There’s no question of any dialogue with Pakistan when there’s no change in its attitude," he said after a meeting of the Cabinet security committee.
Blair urged the two former British colonies to step back and discuss a political solution for Kashmir. His remark could anger India, which has long fended off outside attempts at solution. "We must all be resolute in our total rejection of acts of terrorism ... and clear also, that there should be proper, meaningful processes of peaceful dialogue to resolve disputes, such as that of Kashmir."
Musharraf, who stunned Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee with a handshake at a weekend South Asia summit in Katmandu, appeared to respond to pleas for peace. "Pakistan rejects terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and has fully cooperated with the international coalition against terrorism in that spirit," he told a joint news conference with Blair after their talks. "I have informed the prime minister of the dangerous military buildup on our border and the belligerent statements emanating from India," Musharraf said. Pakistani officials said some 20,000 people had fled villages in Kashmir over the last week, fearing armed conflict.
