Prepare for battle, says Indian PM
The threat of nuclear war between India and Pakistan loomed larger today when the Indian prime minister told his front-line troops in Kashmir to prepare for a "decisive battle" and be ready for sacrifice.
As Atal Bihari Vajpayee delivered his message, hundreds of soldiers in bulletproof vests patrolled mountain roads surrounding the army base, many with minesweeping equipment and sniffer dogs. Helicopters hovered above.
Tension had been continuing to mount after yet another night of heavy fighting left a young Pakistani girl dead and three people wounded
"They have been using artillery, mortars and surface-to-surface Milan missiles," a Pakistan military source. Indian forces reported coming under attack from machineguns and mortars.
Mr Vajpayee, whose most sensitive stage of a three-day visit to the disputed-Himalayan state was marked today by a general strike called by Muslim separatists, told his troops that India has been forced to fight a "proxy war" with Pakistan.
New Delhi has accused Pakistan of training and arming the Islamic militants who have waged a battle for Kashmir's independence or merger with Pakistan for 12 years.
"The challenge has been thrown at India and we accept it," Mr Vajpayee said. "The world understands that there is injustice against us but does has not openly come out in our favour. Nevertheless, we will protect ourselves."
Mr Vajpayee told the soldiers who paraded before him: "Be ready for sacrifice. Your goal should be victory. It's time to fight a decisive battle. We'll write a new chapter of victory."
He did not talk about what steps India would take. The security headache presented by Mr Vajpayee's troop inspection when more than one million soldiers face each other is considered to be a major one, especially after the killing yesterday of of moderate Kashmiri separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone.
Mr Lone, a prominent Muslim figure in the region was assassinated by gunmen at a cemetery in front of a 5,000-strong rally during a service marking the killing of another independence leader 12 years ago.
The Indian prime minister is visiting Srinagar, the same town where Mr Lone was killed.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is today preparing an urgent mission to Delhi and Islamabad as part of an international drive to defuse the crisis. He said: "The possibility of war between India and Pakistan is real and very disturbing. The international community is watching events with mounting concern. This is a crisis the world cannot ignore."
