New Delhi, June 14: India tonight voiced "distress" over President Pervez Musharraf's comments on Kargil and said it implied that "military adventurism" was a legitimate instrument for Islamabad's designs on Jammu and Kashmir which cannot take Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's peace initiative forward. Making it clear that Pakistani leadership would be judged by the steps it took to end cross-border infiltration and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure there, an external affairs ministry spokesman wondered how in the face of such a "signal of non-peaceful intent" Vajpayee's peace initiative could go forward.
India's sharp reaction came in response to Musharraf's interview to a private television channel, which the spokesman said was "deeply disappointing" due to some of the comments made by him.
"The most distressing were the comments on Kargil and the implication that military adventurism of that nature is a legitimate instrument for furthering Pakistan's design on Jammu and Kashmir," he said in a statement.
Refusing to accept that the Kargil war had been against Pakistan's self-interest and was a mistake, Musharraf said, "Kargil was a decision taken by the mujahideen, and we got involved because of the action taken by the Indian troops."
Musharraf refused to commit himself to avoiding Kargil-like situations in the future saying, "To avoid Kargils, we need to resolve disputes and much depends on how we proceed on the peace track and how things develop.” The MEA spokesman said the Prime Minister launched a major peace initiative, which has been widely welcomed all over the world and by Pakistan itself. "How can a peace initiative go forward in the face of such a signal of non-peaceful intent ?" he asked.
The spokesman said the important first steps that have been taken needed to be carefully nurtured and built upon through further action in ending infiltration and terrorism so that the two countries could progressively move towards a dialogue.
"This required restraint and maturity in addressing sensitive issues in India-Pakistan relations," he said.
The spokesman also termed as "unfortunate" that Musharraf has totally denied the significance and impact of the universally acknowledged success of the elections in Jammu and Kashmir. "Facts cannot be wished away by denials," he said.
Observing that Musharraf has himself referred to the lack of trust between the two countries, he said it was clear that the first step should be expanding economic and cultural cooperation, and people-to-people contact so as to generate an atmosphere of understanding, trust and confidence. "His dismissal of the importance of these steps only shows the vicious circle in which India-Pakistan relations have got trapped," the spokesman said.
India, the spokesman said, would continue with its recent efforts, which have also found a tremendous resonance amongst the people and civil society in Pakistan.
"We will judge the Pakistani leadership by the steps that they take to end cross-border infiltration and to dismantle the infrastructure of support to terrorism in that country," he added.
Reacting to Musharraf's interview, BJP general secretary Muktar Abbas Naqvi said, "I think only after taking Kashmir off their (Pakistan's) mind, they will be able to talk and move towards any success."
Congress spokesman Abishek Singhvi said, "If talks are led by Musharraf, the person who calls the shots, there could be likelihood of success and less likelihood of his wriggling out."
Nilotpal Basu (CPI-M) said, "We have to engage with Pakistan. We cannot wish away the geography and history that we have. I think we have to prepare the ground so that we can also set out the agenda and process of dialogue." Bureau Report