Friday, 14 February 2003 |
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West must halt military, financial aid to Pakistan: Advani NEW DELHI, Feb 12 (AFP) - Indian Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani Wednesday urged western countries to cut military and financial aid to Pakistan until Islamabad ends support for Islamic militants battling New Delhi's rule in the restive Himalayan region of Kashmir. "Pakistan will be paralysed and cannot survive if western countries stop their military and financial aid," the Press Trust of India quoted Advani as telling a gathering in the northern Indian mountain resort of Kullu. Advani also ruled out any talks between New Delhi and Islamabad until Pakistan "stops cross-border terrorism and shuts down terrorist training camps there." New Delhi accuses Islamabad of funding, arming and training Muslim rebels fighting to end Indian rule in Kashmir, where tens of thousands have died since 1989. Pakistan denies the charge and contends the Kashmir rebellion is indigenous. Kashmir has been the spark for two of the three wars between the two arch-rivals since their independence from British rule in 1947. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha ruled out the possibility of talks with Pakistani leaders on the sidelines of the forthcoming Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Malaysia. India and Pakistan are due to attend the NAM summit in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur from February 20 to25. |
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