NEW DELHI, 19 January 2004 — India’s Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani yesterday welcomed a statement by Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf calling for a holy war against extremism.
Addressing a police science meeting in the northern Indian town of Karnal, Advani said Musharraf’s statement would go a long way toward curbing the spread of terrorism, the Press Trust of India news agency said.
“I welcome it. It is a very good statement. I strongly believe that such a stand by Pakistan will ensure that growth of terrorism is prevented in the region,” Advani was quoted as saying. In his first address to a joint session of parliament since staging a coup in October 1999, Musharraf on Saturday urged lawmakers and his compatriots to launch a holy war to eradicate extremism from Pakistani society. “I appeal to you and the people of Pakistan to wage a jihad against extremism,” Musharraf said.
In his comments, Advani said Musharraf had at a South Asian summit held in Islamabad earlier this month made it clear that Pakistan would not allow its territory to be used by terrorists.
“These statements have totally changed the situation in the region... Terrorism in the name of jihad or anything else has to be fought jointly by all nations,” Advani said.
Meanwhile, Pakistani and Indian officials ended talks yesterday on a dispute over a dam that India is building in Indian-controlled Kashmir, but it was unclear whether the two countries narrowed their differences.
The leader of the Pakistani delegation at the talks, Jamat Ali Shah, said both sides exchanged views about the Baglihar dam.
