Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Friday night said India will take 'appropriate measures' to win any war thrust upon it by Pakistan.
In Bangkok, Vajpayee condemns Gujarat riots
"That is what we did in Kargil," he said. Pakistan, he added, did not learn from the 1971 Bangladesh war, which led to its dismemberment. Vajpayee was addressing a large gathering of Indians in the Thai capital.
Describing the Kargil war as a 'betrayal' on the part of Pakistan, Vajpayee attacked President Pervez Musharraf, who was then the army chief, for plotting the action.
Contending that he had written a poem Jang nahi hone denge (we will not let war happen) earlier, Vajpayee said he could not stop the Kargil war. "I had undertaken the Lahore bus trip just ahead of the conflict in February 1999 and was accorded a grand welcome. At that time even Musharraf sahib saluted me."
He said the then Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharief was kept in the dark and a conspiracy was on to remove him.
"India was betrayed but we replied to it. We did not want any of our territory to be occupied by Pakistan nor did we want to occupy Pakistani territory," he said.
Observing that there has been 'give and take' of territory after previous wars, the prime minister said, "At that time (Kargil) I decided that this would not happen again. We have to take full control of Kargil."
Recalling his conversation with the United States President Bill Clinton on July 4, 1999, Vajpayee said then Sharief was invited to Washington where he pleaded with American leadership that they should save them.
"Clinton telephoned me too inviting me to Washington for talks to stop the war. But, I maintained that there was no question of going there till India regained its territory and I did not go," he told the Indian audience amid applause.
Relating the events thereafter Vajpayee said there was a revolt within the Pakistan army. "Musharraf got an opportunity and exploited it. But, that did not deter me to again extend the hand of friendship," he said.
Stating that there was need to live together in peace and harmony in today's world, the prime minister said that people in Pakistan were least bothered about Kashmir and also were against dictatorship there.
Recalling that Pakistan occupied one-third of Kashmir after partition, Vajpayee said at that time there should have been no compromise on the issue.
"Kashmir has been a headache because of that. No one living in Jammu and Kashmir wants to go to Pakistan but Pakistan still demands a plebiscite. I don't know what they want," he said.
India, he added, was not scared of a war being thrust on it. He said India has developed nuclear weapons as a deterrent.
"These weapons are not for attacking anyone," he added.
© 2024 Rediff.com -