NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD, 29 December — Pakistan said yesterday that it "stands for peace" and would never initiate a war with its eastern neighbor, India, as the US President George W. Bush tried to calm nerves in South Asia. India blew hot and cold: telling Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf he could use Indian airspace to fly to Katmandu for a regional summit, but hard-line Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani insisted New Delhi will go it alone in its campaign against Pakistan whom it blames for terrorism in India.
"Pakistan is passing through a difficult stage. There is tension on the border," Musharraf told a dinner at the presidential palace. "Pakistan stands for peace, we do not want war. We will never initiate a war unless it is thrust on us," he said. "We do not want war because we understand all the hazards that could follow."
President Bush warmly praised Musharraf for arresting 50 extremists, and said he hoped India would take note. Bush told reporters at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, that his administration was actively engaged in a bid to soothe the crisis in a region crucial to his war on terrorism.
He singled out Musharraf for particular personal praise, saying he had acted against extremists after an attack on parliament in New Delhi on Dec. 13, which India says was carried out by two Kashmiri groups and backed by Pakistani intelligence.
"The president is responding forcefully and actively to bring those who would harm others to justice. I’m pleased that President Musharraf is responding to the Indian request to round up those who would do harm to others and incarcerate them, which he did," Bush said.
Musharraf welcomed the move from Washington, which has also said it is concerned the rapidly escalating crisis could detract from its war on terrorism. "They are showing a lot of concern and I know they are involved, certainly they are already involved and they are trying to reduce the tension and we appreciate that," he said. Musharraf pledged not to shift troops from the western border with Afghanistan, who are tasked with apprehending fleeing members of Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network, in order to bolster the frontier with India.
Earlier, Pakistani military spokesman Maj. Gen. Rashid Qureshi said India’s heavy troop reinforcements and the positioning of surface-to-surface missiles made it difficult for New Delhi to back away. "It seems that the Indian government is putting itself into a corner where I think it would be difficult for them now to back off," he said.
In an apparent effort to tone down the saber-rattling, Musharraf said he would be willing to meet Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit in Nepal on Jan. 4-6. In New Delhi, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Nirupama Rao said: "If any request is made for overflying by the Pakistani president and his delegation for the summit, it will be met."
On Thursday India announced the closure of its airspace to Pakistani air traffic. It also ordered that Pakistan halve its diplomatic staff in New Delhi. Yesterday Ms. Rao said the 48-hour period given to half the diplomatic staff of Pakistan to leave the country has been extended by a week.
India appealed for international support for its own war on terrorism but vowed to tackle Pakistani-based groups with or without outside help. Home Minister Advani said the fight against terrorism did not end with Osama Bin Laden.
"I would like to say to nations that the problems that they are trying to solve are not connected with one man or one country," he said, referring to Bin Laden and Afghanistan. Advani said India would welcome international support: "But if not, even then we will not worry."
As the troop buildup continued on both sides of the border, Indian defense officials said two Indian civilians were killed and five people wounded when Pakistani troops opened fire on the border with Jammu and Kashmir state.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference urged both countries to show restraint and seek a diplomatic solution to their differences. The OIC commended Pakistan for condemning the Dec. 13 parliament attack and for proposing a neutral investigation.
