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Pak 'targeting innocents' in J&K

Pakistan is targeting innocent people in Jammu and Kashmir after having realised that its misadventure in Kargil would not succeed, according to Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani.

Addressing the media in Srinagar today, he said that there would be no dialogue with Islamabad until all intruders are pushed back.

After the Indian forces contained the Pakistan misadventure in Kargil, Islamabad had reverted to the policy of killing innocent people in the state, he added.

Expressing shock over the massacre of innocent people in Poonch and Anantnag districts by unidentified militants in the past two days, he said every step would be taken for the protection of innocents.

Asked if there was any international pressure against India cross the Line of Control in Kargil, he said India took all its decisions on its own.

''There is absolutely no pressure on us and our decision not to cross the Line of Control has yielded very good results internationally and militarily,'' he added.

Rejecting any third party mediation on Kashmir, he said, ''We want to discuss all our issues with Pakistan including Kashmir without involving any third party.''

''We believe that we are capable of resolving our issues ourselves,'' he said.

Asked about the visit of US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gibson Lanpher to New Delhi recently, he said, ''Officials do visit our countries. He was here to know what actually happened in Kargil. We were able to convince the whole world that Pakistan has violated the Line of Control.''

Talks with Pakistan would be resumed only after they maintain status quo ante on the Line of Control. However, if Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief talks to his Indian counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee it ''would not be taken as reversal of our policy. Vajpayee has made it clear that talks would be held only after the Pakistan-backed intruders are out of our land.''

After Pakistan failed in its proxy war in Jammu, it sent its troops to the Kargil sector, he said.

Asked how long it would take to flush out the intruders, he said, ''We are proceeding at our own pace.''

He said all the decisions regarding the Kargil operation were being taken with the active participation of all the three service chiefs.

Asked if the government would concede the demand for calling a Rajya Sabha session to discuss the Kargil conflict, he said the prime minister has already spoken on this.

He said the main purpose of his visit to Kargil was to meet the brave soldiers and people who were forced to migrate to safer places because of the Pakistani shelling.

''I met the jawans and found their morale is high,'' he said.

UNI

The Kargil Crisis

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