Musharraf: We Don't Want War

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf Monday vowed not to initiate war, condemned attacks in India as "terrorist attacks," but promised to maintain his nation's support for what he called Kashmir's "freedom struggle".

"We do not want war. Pakistan will not be the one to initiate war. We want peace in the region," Musharraf said in a televised speech to the nation.

However, he vowed continued Pakistani support for an insurgency in Kashmir that has killed more than 60,000 people since it began in 1989 by militants demanding either outright independence for the Himalayan state or union with Islamic Pakistan. Divided between the two South Asian neighbors, Kashmir has been the flashpoint of two previous wars and has today brought the two nuclear neighbors to the brink of war.

"Pakistan will always be with the Kashmiris in their struggle for independence," said Musharraf appearing on television in his army uniform. "We are not the sort of people who will be cowed by our enemies."

He said he has publicly condemned the attacks in December against India's Parliament and this month against an Indian army camp in Indian-ruled Kashmir as "terrorist attacks." He called for international pressure on India to open negotiations, reduce tensions along the border.

He interrupted his Urdu-language speech to briefly speak in English promising the international community not to start a war.

Also in English he said that Pakistan was not allowing cross-border incursions by militants into Indian-ruled Kashmir, a charge that has been leveled by India as well as several world leaders, including U.S. President George W. Bush.

Immediately following Musharraf's speech, Indian foreign ministry spokeswoman Nirupama Rao said, "What you see is not what you get as far as Pakistan is concerned." She refused to elaborate or say more.

Musharraf, meanwhile, said Pakistan has taken "bold steps" referring to his speech of Jan. 12 when he banned five Islamic militant groups. He accused India of failing to reciprocate.

"Unfortunately we have not seen any positive response from the Indian side. I urge the world community to ask India to move toward normalization of relations," Musharraf said in an English-language plea.

He offered a formula.

He called for a "de-escalation of tensions on the border, initiation of a process of dialogue, cessation of atrocities being perpetuated on the people of Kashmir, allowing international media and aid organization to enter Kashmir and see the situation on the ground."

"Islam is a religion of peace, but if war is thrust upon us, every Muslim is bound to respond in kind. That is the kind of situation we face right now. We are being threatened with war," he said.

"The armed forces are ready to respond, and we are aware of every move that India makes."

This weekend, Pakistan tested two missiles — a medium-range and a short-range ballistic missile — both capable of carrying conventional and nuclear warheads.

While Pakistan said the tests had nothing to do with the current situation and India said it wasn't bothered by them, they drew criticism from much of the world.

Musharraf also has come under increasing world pressure to stop cross-border incursions. Bush said he wanted to see Musharraf make good on his promise to curb militants.

On television Monday, Musharraf flatly denied cross-border incursions were occurring

Britain's foreign secretary Jack Straw, who is expected in Pakistan later on Monday, also called for an end to cross-border terrorism "in all its guises and disguises" as a first step to defusing the crisis over Kashmir. At a news conference in Berlin, Straw played down expectations of what outside diplomacy could achieve as he prepared to head to Pakistan and India.

"I think that it's important that everybody understands, above all the parties, what could be the consequences if military action started and gets out of control," Straw said at a news conference in Berlin.

The two countries have been on a war footing since December when the Indian parliament was attacked. India blamed Pakistani-based militants. Two weeks ago, another bloody assault on an Indian army camp in the disputed Kashmir region killed 34 people — mostly women and children — and further inflamed tensions. Again India accused Pakistan of letting militants cross into its territory to wreak havoc.
Written by Kathy Gannon