Author:
Publication: The Times of India
Date: May 25, 2002
Stating that India reserved the
right to use its nuclear arsenal if nuked by Pakistan. minister of state
for external affairs Omar Abdullah on Friday said that it was high time
that Islamabad's "bluff" was called.
"I don't think Pakistan is foolish
enough to carry out a nuclear attack against us. They know the serious
problems they will have to undergo," Mr Abdullah, who was here to attend
the crucial unified command meeting chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee, told PTI here. "We have already assured the international community
that we will not make the first use of nuclear weapons but that does not
mean that we will not hit back if attacked," Mr Abdullah said. He said
that Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf should take a look at the atlas
and see for himself the size of his country as "compared with ours".
Asked whether this implied that
the entire South Asian region was standing at a nuclear Cashpoint, the
minister said "this is where Musharraf has been able to garner points.
If Pakistan had to use a nuclear weapon, then they could have used it during
Kargil when their soldiers had to bite the dust at the hands of our troops".
I Regretting the role of the international community, Mr Abdullah said
"the world must not condone terrorism and effectively direct Pakistan to
stop all kind of violence being perpetrated from its side in Jammu and
Kashmir". Asked about the diplomatic offensive launched by the world community
to defuse the growing tension between India and Pakistan, Mr Abdullah said
"we don't need any sermon, it is to those sitting across the border that
all the talking needs to be done". He said Musharraf was playing on both
sides of the fence. "While he is aligning with the world community in its
fight against the Taliban on one hand, he supports militancy on the other
hand in our state." Stating that New Delhi was contemplating all moves
within the diplomatic parameters, Mr Abdullah said "closing of the Pakistan
mission is also not ruled out".
Stating that the Pakistan High Commission
was a supporter of over ground separatist leaders of the state, he said
"once it is shut, I wonder where these Hurriyat leaders will get their
diktats from". Asked whether India was also giving a serious thought to
reviewing the Indus-water treaty, Mr Abdullah said "everything means everything
including this treaty".
To a question as to how India could
go back on an international treaty, Mr Abdullah said "why is that the world
always expects us to stick to a treaty. Pakistan has been violating every
single treaty including the latest resolution 1373 passed by the United
Nations after the September 11 attacks on the United States". The treaty
was signed in the 1950s between India and Pakistan in which the World Bank
acted as a guarantor. Under this treaty, India cannot store water of three
rivers - Indus, Jhelum and Chenab - flowing through the state.
