No ceasefire, says George

8220;One can offer them safe passage if that8217;s what is meant by cease-fire. The point, then, is whether they will be allowed to go back without being attacked8221;, he clarified. 8220;Pakistan is today speaking up for the intruders, when until the other day it was a hands-off policy. They were playing both cards, whereas now the Pakistani establishment is speaking up for them, conceding that this is their handiwork8221;, he added, alluding to the large-scale intrusion in the Kargil sector. George8217;s statement comes at a time when Pakistan Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz8217;s visit date is yet to be fixed.

On the question of whowas responsible, within the Pakistani establishment, for the current crisis, Fernandes once again emphasised that the initiation, planning and execution of this intrusion was the handiwork of the Pakistan Army. And that this was based on some reliable information. I am not giving a clean chit to anybody, for after all Pakistan is responsible for this situation. What I am saying is that the Government of Pakistan only became involved when the plans entered operational mode. But the responsibility of this rests with Pakistan8221;, he added.

Meanwhile, intense close quarter combat is under way in the Batalik sub-sector of Kargil, and the Army is poised to make a major headway on a prominent ridgeline in the area. The Air Force continued with its air strikes, despite another bad weather day, engaging new targets in Kargil and Batalik areas. Describing the current situation as steady progress8217;, Brig M C Bhandari, the Deputy Director General, Military Operations, said that concurrently efforts are on to isolateall pockets of intrusions and deny administrative sustenance to the armed intruders8217;.

The Air Force is playing a vital role in softening the target areas prior to infantry assaults through accurate air strikes8217;, added Brig Bhandari. In the meanwhile, the Air Force shifted its focus on to new targets in Kargil and Batalik, as previous targets are in the process of being neutralised by the Army8217;, said Group Captain K Raja. The reports from air strikes conducted this morning are still awaited, and we will continue with the operations till the intrusion is cleaned up8217;, he added.

Denying a Pakistani claim that the Army had targeted a school across the Line of Control LoC, killing atleast ten children, Brig Bhandari said that, the Army was only engaging military targets on the LoC, and those across the LoC that are aiding and abetting infiltration8217;. He did, however, declare that there were some developments on the Pakistani side of the International Border and LoC, but these 8220;are being closely monitoredand necessary precautionary measures have been instituted8217;, he said.

The current casualty figures for the Army are 46 killed, 174 wounded and 12 remain missing, he disclosed.

Earlier, Indian troops today foiled Pakistan army8217;s attempts to disrupt the Srinagar-Leh national highway and damage a Doordarshan booster centre at Drass by carrying out heavy shelling from across the line of control LoC.

The Indian side repulsed the attacks by Pakistani troops, who also shelled three villages near the LoC between Sonamarg and Kargil, official sources here said.

While the attempt to disrupt traffic on the strategically important highway was foiled by effective firing by Indian troops, shells aimed at the DD booster centre missed the target and fell on a nearby road, the sources said.

Heavy shelling from across the border forced inhabitants of the Pandrass, Bhimbat and Chokiyal villages to flee. Agriculture is the main occupation of the villagers and they complained that they had nothing to eat. Kargil townalso wore a deserted look.

8220;In doing so, we have deployed appropriate force levels in Kargil sector to facilitate speedy execution of operations 8212; rugged terrain configuration and inhospitable weather conditions notwithstanding. Fighting in such an environment demands a very deliberate and well thought out modus operandi, Brig Singh said.

Pak Army chief talks of de-escalation

The Pakistani army chief General Pervez Musharraf has said his forces would like to de-escalate the current tension with India but warned 8220;Pakistan8217;s peace overtures should not be mistaken for weakness8221;.

8220;The armed forces would continue to de-escalate the present situation,8221; Gen Musharraf remarked at a 8220;strategically important meeting of the military command on operational plans8221; at the army headquarters in Rawalpindi.

Meanwhile, Pakistan today denied that Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmad had warned that nuclear-armed Pakistan would use any weapon8217; to defend itself against India. A report by a PakistaniUrdu-language newspaper carrying Ahmad8217;s alleged remarks was 8220;inaccurate and misleading,8221; a foreign office spokesman said in a statement.