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Pakistan welcomes Vajpayee's new
year musings

K J M Varma in Islamabad

Islamabad on Tuesday welcomed Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's readiness to re-commence dialogue with Pakistan on all issues, including Kashmir, but rejected his charge that it followed a policy of hostility towards India.

Reacting to Vajpayee's remarks on Indo-Pak relations in his new year musings, Foreign Office spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan said if the prime minister's intention was to restart dialogue, Pakistan welcomed it.

"We have always stood for talks. We welcome if he is thinking of restating the dialogue, which was broken in Agra," he said.

Khan also denied that his government followed an anti-India policy or harboured hostility. "If Pakistan has followed an anti-India policy, Musharraf would not have gone to Agra. In that case we would not be asking for talks," he said.

He said Pakistan had activated its diplomatic channels in contact with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and other international leaders to resolve the present crisis between the two countries.

"We welcome any diplomatic opportunities available at Kathmandu," he said.

Pakistan on Tuesday alleged that India was continuing its military build-up all along the border and at the Line of Control and the force levels were far greater than in the past.

"All along the border there is a continuing Indian military build-up and concentration of forces far in excess of what we have seen in the past," defence spokesman Major General Rashid Qureshi said.

Replying to a question about the move to have one of the biggest exercises by Indian troops near the border in Rajasthan, Qureshi said Pakistan had not received any intimation about the exercises.

Such information needs to be provided under an agreement between the two countries, he said.

"We are very closely monitoring the Indian military build-up and taking all precautionary measures, he said.

He said the director generals of military operations of both the countries were in regular contact.

PTI

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