N-war unthinkable: Gen

Declaring the nuclear option unthinkable, Pakistan8217;s President General Pervez Musharraf today sought to calm escalating fears that a military standoff with India could lead to nuclear war.

As the UN prepared to evacuate families of its staff from Pakistan, Musharraf said in a TV interview, 8216;8216;I don8217;t think either side is irresponsible to go to that limit.8217;8217;

8216;8216;I would even go to the extent of saying one shouldn8217;t even be discussing these things, because any sane individual cannot even think of going into this unconventional war, whatever the pressures,8217;8217; he told CNN.

He dismissed as 8216;8216;absolutely baseless8217;8217; charges of Islamabad moving N-missiles near the border. And said he was willing to meet PM A.B. Vajpayee in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where both will attend an Asian summit from June 4. 8216;8216;It depends on PM Vajpayee,8217;8217; he said. 8216;8216;I have no problem in meeting. This question needs to be put to him.8217;8217;

8216;8216;If India has moved their missiles this is dangerous and an extremely serious escalation. The international community must take note of this because you can8217;t distinguish what is conventional and unconventional,8217;8217; Musharraf said. 8216;8216;Let us hope good sense prevails and this does not lead to escalation. It has not because we are restraining ourselves, and let Indians not test our patience and restraint because it will be dangerous.8217;8217;

When reminded that India has a stated policy it will not be the first to strike with nuclear weapons, Musharraf said Pakistan backs something 8216;8216;much bigger than that.8217;8217; 8216;8216;We8217;ve called for a no-war pact with India, that there shouldn8217;t be any war. We8217;ve called for de-nuclearisation of South Asia, so we8217;ve called for reduction of forces.8217;8217;

In Washington, the US has said it has some indications Pakistan has given instructions to stop infiltration into Kashmir. 8216;8216;I have seen some indications by Pakistan to cease this kind of activity. I think it is too early to say it has stopped. And when and if it does stop, it must stop permanently,8217;8217; Secretary of State Colin Powell told BBC last night.

Stating that the US is pressing Musharraf 8216;8216;very intensely8217;8217; to stop infiltration, Powell said: 8216;8216;I think what we are expecting President pervez Musharraf to do is to use all of the authority he has to stop it, and to keep it stopped.

8216;8216;If it becomes obvious he has done that and we can detect this, and more importantly the Indians can see it has stopped, then we have a basis for saying to India: 8230;That8217;s been stopped. Now we are hopeful and expecting you to take de-escalatory steps so you can start to bring these troops away from this very tense border and start moving in the other direction.8217;8217;

He said the US was disappointed that some initial steps it thought Pakistan was taking to shut down activity across the LoC didn8217;t continue. 8216;8216;We expect him Musharraf to make good his word, and assurances he has given me in many conversations we have had in recent weeks lead me to believe he is going to to that. But I can8217;t go anywhere with assurance. The only time I can go and make a case with the Indian side or to the world is when we see action taking place, that it has been stopped,8217;8217; Powell said. PTI 038; Reuters