NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD, 14 January — Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s crackdown on religious militancy received a warm international response yesterday but rival India remained skeptical and the nuclear-armed neighbors stayed poised for war.
Even as diplomatic pressure is increasing on New Delhi to hold talks with Islamabad, India has decided to "wait and watch" for Musharraf’s "credible action" against terrorists before de-escalation of troops or resumption of dialogue. The decision was taken after a meeting of India’s Cabinet Committee on Security and interaction with opposition leaders.
"The lessening of tension on the border is entirely dependent on the steps taken by Pakistan on operationalizing Musharraf’s measures announced in his speech," Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh told reporters. His was India’s first official reaction to Musharraf’s televised address Saturday in which he banned five militant groups, including the two New Delhi has blamed for the Dec. 13 attack on its Parliament.
Hours after the address, Pakistan police began sealing offices of the banned religious extremist and militant groups and arresting their members. By yesterday, almost 900 alleged extremists had been arrested around the country, officials in Pakistan said.
Jaswant said India welcomed Pakistan’s "now declared commitment not to support or permit anymore the use of its territory for terrorism anywhere in the world, including in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir." But he added: "We would assess the effectiveness of this commitment only by the concrete action taken."
"Consequently we expect Pakistan to cooperate with India in stopping all infiltration across the international border and the Line of Control", the effective border in disputed Kashmir, Jaswant said. His remarks came after one-month of an attack on Parliament in New Delhi by Muslim extremists which killed 14 people including five attackers. The attack escalated tensions between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India, who have amassed an estimated 800,000 troops on their common border.
US President George W. Bush telephoned Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee last evening and said he "appreciated India’s response" to Musharraf’s pledge. "Bush assured Vajpayee that he would continue to work with India to counter terrorism," a spokesman for Vajpayee said, adding that the call lasted eight minutes. Earlier yesterday, US Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke with Jaswant.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted Musharraf’s emphasis on "tolerance, the rule of law and the need to fight terrorism and extremism." France and China — Pakistan’s close ally — also welcomed Musharraf’s speech.
India pledged that it would also take steps to defuse the month-old crisis if Pakistan’s intentions prove genuine. "For every one step that Pakistan takes, then we will take two steps," Jaswant said, adding that India "cannot expect immediate action."
