Vacate PoK before talks, asserts PM

JALANDHAR, FEBRUARY 6: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Sunday virtually linked the outcome of any talks on Kashmir to the return of...

JALANDHAR, FEBRUARY 6: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Sunday virtually linked the outcome of any talks on Kashmir to the return of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which, he asserted, was a part of India. He also said the presence of Pakistani troops was holding up the referendum in J amp;K.On the nuclear issue, Vajpayee said Pakistan8217;s failure to agree to a no-first-use policy on N-weapons indicated they had 8220;different intentions8221;.

Referring to General Parvez Musharraf8217;s recent statement that any bilateral meeting with India must focus on Kashmir, the Prime Minister said, 8220;We also want to talk about Kashmir. But Pakistan must accept that the one-third of the State that they have taken over has to be vacated.

This territory is part of India.8221; Before the talks resumed, the atmosphere that existed before the Lahore peace process had to be restored, Vajpayee said. 8220;This atmosphere has been damaged by Pakistani acts since then.8221; On the demand for a referendum in Jamp;K, he said the reason one hadn8217;t beenheld in Kashmir was because the pre-condition of a withdrawal of Pakistani troops from PoK hadn8217;t been met. 8220;The people of Jamp;K joined India willingly.

Subsequent elections have shown no one wants to join Pakistan,8221; he said. 8220;Was there any referendum at the time of Partition? Were the people in one-third of Kashmir, which Pakistan occupies, asked about where they wanted to go?8221;

Addressing a small gathering, which had heard Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah urge the government to adopt a tough line against Pakistan, the Prime Minister said, 8220;Pakistan is threatening a nuclear war, but do they even know what it means? They think that they will drop one bomb and they8217;ll win and we8217;ll lose. This won8217;t happen. We have said we won8217;t be the first to use nuclear weapons, but if anyone uses them against us, we will not wait for our annihilation.

8220;If they don8217;t want a nuclear war, they should announce a no first-use policy. We have done so and so should you Pakistan but your intentions aresomething else. We are prepared for any eventuality,8221; the PM said.

Going back to the Kashmir issue, Vajpayee said there was no way India could accept Pakistan8217;s claim over the state simply because it had a Muslim majority. 8220;We can8217;t swallow this argument. India has perhaps more Muslims than Pakistan. This nation is for everyone and it can8217;t be partitioned again. Anyway we did not accept Partition on the basis of a Hindu or a Muslim nation.8221;

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Referring to Pakistan8217;s alleged attempts to internationalise the Kashmir problem, the Prime Minister ruled out any possibility of taking a decision under foreign pressure. 8220;During the early days of the Kargil conflict, there was enormous international pressure to halt the skirmishes and start negotiations.

8220;We were told Pakistan had occupied only a small piece of territory where no one lived. We were told we should start talking to Pakistan but we said this won8217;t happen, we will fight till we regain our land.8221;

The battle, he said, had been won but the warwas far from over. 8220;It will continue till Pakistan gives up its claims on Jamp;K. The whole world knows that India wants peace, but Pakistan does not,8221; he added.

Vajpayee was in Jalandhar to collect Rs 10.34 crore raised by the Hind Samachar Group for the Prime Minister8217;s Relief Fund Shakti. Apart from Abdullah, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister P K Dhoomal addressed the gathering.