New York, Sept 21: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has asserted that the killing of Jammu and Kashmir law minister Mushtaq Ahmad Lone was aimed at sabotaging the coming Assembly elections in the state. Vajpayee told his Danish counterpart Andersen Fog Rasmussen during a bilateral meeting that "every effort is being made to intimidate the voters and the candidates in Jammu and Kashmir." Denmark currently holds the rotating presidency of the 15-member European Union.

During the talks Vajpayee said India is committed to holding free and fair elections in the state.


Vajpayee said the "acid test" whether cross-border terrorism had ebbed would be evident during the polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal told reporters that United States has asked Pakistan not to disrupt the polls in Jammu and Kashmir. Bureau Report