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104 Indians, 297 Pakistanis killed

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Pakistan yesterday suffered another setback with India rejecting Iran and Egypt's offer to mediate in the Kargil conflict. New Delhi has reiterated that all matters pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir were purely bilateral in nature.

Teheran and Cairo have been told that even the P-5 members -- the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, France and China - had steered clear of Kashmir as it was a bilateral dispute, senior officials of the external affairs ministry said.

New Delhi had told the Iranian and Egyptian leadership that the Pakistani intrusion and aggression in Kargil had been criticised by the international community and India would not rest until the Pakistani forces were pushed beyond the Line of Control.

Significantly, Pakistan had been trying to enlist the support of the Organisation of Islamic Conference countries of which both Iran and Egypt are prominent members. Thus, New Delhi's outright rejection of Teheran and Cairo's attempt to mediate on Kargil seems to have added to Islamabad's woes.

The officials pointed out that Saudi Arabia, widely perceived as Pakistan's 'guardian angel', has been trying to focus international attention on Kashmir at Islamabad's behest. But the international community's virtual endorsement of New Delhi's stance on Kargil and its calling on Pakistan to evacuate its forces in Kargil has caused cold feet among Islamabad's staunchest supporters.

Answering a reporter's question, an external affairs ministry spokesman said that India had never been averse to dialogue. However, Indo-Pak talks have been derailed because of the Pakistani aggression. He said Pakistan has to pull out its forces from Kargil before any meaningful dialogue could take place.

He said there was no abnormal Chinese activity on the Sino-Indian border.

Asked whether the LoC would be crossed by the Indian armed forces while fighting the Pakistani aggressors, the spokesman answered in the negative. "We respect the LoC.''

Referring to a report in a leading daily about the Pakistani troops having three-storey bunkers and armed women in Kargil, Indian Army spokesman, Colonel Vikram Singh said, ''It is totally incorrect, and a figment of imagination."

Asked to comment on the Pakistani troop movement across the LoC, he said India was aware of it and had taken certain 'precautionary measures'. He did not think that the Pakistani troop movement was alarming.

Referring to the Indian operations in Kargil beyond Point 5203, he said the Indian Army's encircling manoeuvres had sealed the supply lines of the Pakistani troops. During this offensive, Major Manoj Talwar had to lay down his life, he said.

Referring to the Indian offensive in the Tololing heights from June 11 to 13, he said Pakistan has lost 23 men while 36 were injured. Arms and ammunition recovered by the Indian troops from the Pakistani forces included one universal machine gun, one AK rifle, 62 hand grenades, nine boxes of ammunition and 10,200 rounds of small ammunition.

Group Captain Ganesh said that air strikes continued yesterday in the Muskoh valley. As mopping up operations were still in progress, it was difficult at this juncture to pinpoint how many 'Pakistani soldiers were lying around', he said.

''The closer the Indian troops got to the LoC, the more difficult it is for the Indian Air Force to manoeuvre,'' he said. The Indian troops did not violate the LoC but used firepower to reach military targets while the Pakistani forces were killing innocent civilians, he said.

So far India had lost 104 soldiers with 293 being wounded. About 297 Pakistanis have been killed, he said.

The Kargil Crisis

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