Musharraf refuses to renounce first use of nuclear weapons

PAKISTANI President General Pervez Musharraf yesterday refused to renounce the first use of nuclear weapons, as efforts to bring him together with his Indian counterpart appeared to fail.

Meanwhile, a Pakistan army official said a number of Indian troops and two Pakistani civilians were killed by shellfire in Kashmir yesterday as a million troops massed on the border between the feuding neighbours. Leaders of both nations attended a regional summit in Kazakhstan but showed no sign of modifying positions that have brought them close to war and agreeing to meet face to face.

A Pakistan army official said eight Indian troops were killed and wounded when Pakistani artillery retaliated for Indian shelling across the military control line in disputed Kashmir that killed two civilians and wounded nine.

Asked to state Pakistan’s nuclear policy and explain why it will not renounce first use of nuclear weapons as India has, Gen Musharraf said: "The possession of nuclear weapons by any state obviously implies they will be used under some circumstances." He said, however, that it would be irresponsible for a leader to discuss such things, and that Pakistan’s "deeper policy" is for the removal of nuclear weapons from South Asia. Earlier yesterday at the regional summit India’s Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said: "Nuclear powers should not use nuclear blackmail." On Monday, the Indian Defence Ministry said India "does not believe in the use of nuclear weapons".

Yesterday morning, the leaders of India and Pakistan angrily blamed each other for more than five decades of conflict, exchanging stony stares across a table while their troops fired at each other in disputed Kashmir. Russia and China pressed India and Pakistan to enter face-to-face talks to prevent the conflict exploding into a fourth full-scale war between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Although the effort failed to bring Gen Musharraf and Mr Vajpayee together for a direct meeting, Musharraf said he had accepted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invitation for possible further talks in Moscow.

"India is continually threatening Pakistan for an attack and also refusing dialogue," gen Musharraf said after meeting Mr Putin.

He said he did not know whether Mr Vajpayee, who also met Mr Putin shortly afterwards, would come to Moscow for talks at an unspecified date.

"Everyone was desiring a meeting between me and Mr Vajpayee," Gen Musharraf said. "I think the whole world is disappointed that we two did not talk and meet here." Mr Vajpayee said yesterday that he is willing to have a dialogue with Pakistan, but there must be a halt first to cross-border terrorism, which India says is carried out in its part of Kashmir by Pakistan-based Islamic militants.