Vajpayee on war: It was touch-and-go

Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee has said cross-border infiltration is continuing unabated, and Pakistan has not brought about any changes in the situation on the ground.

In an interview to Newsweek, the Prime Minister said despite Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's promises, there were still 50 to 70 terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and "every day we are getting reports that infiltration continues unabated".

The interview was recorded a week ago. The situation appears to have changed since then, because on Wednesday, Defence Minister George Fernandes said infiltration had gone down.

On how close India and Pakistan had been to a war, Vajpayee said, "It was a touch-and-go affair ... I did not rule out the possibility of war. Until the last minute, we were hoping wiser counsels would prevail."

As regards dialogue with Pakistan on Kashmir, he said India would be ready for talks on all issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, if only Pakistan fulfilled its promises on cross-border terrorism.

Asked if he thought Musharraf was trustworthy, he said: "We are prepared to deal with him as he is, but we are cautious this time. Our past experience is not very encouraging."

The Prime Minister also clarified there was no change in India's opposition to third party mediation on Kashmir. Asked what the US's role should be, he said: "That of a facilitator."

Washington, June 23, 2002 (HT)