NEW DELHI, Aug 19, Reuter: India dismissed as absurd on Friday widely voiced suspicions that New Delhi was behind the death of Pakistani President Mohammad Zia-Ul-Haq in a plane crash.
The inclusion of India, which has fought three wars with neighboring Pakistan since independence in 1947, on lists of suspects in Zia’s death was “totally absurd, baseless and mischievous,” a foreign ministry spokesman told reporters. India, its ally the Soviet Union, Kabul and Zia’s domestic opponents have been cited as suspects, especially by unnamed U.S. Officials quoted in Media reports.
Indian officials, speaking privately, had dismissed the suspicions which emerged shortly after Zia’s death on Wednesday as “garbage,” but the foreign ministry statement was the country’s first official response.
Relations between the two countries have rarely been better than cool and Indian troops were placed on what a senior officer called routine alert ahead of Zia’s funeral on Saturday.
But V.K. Rajagopalan of the paramilitary border security force said there had been no movement of troops on either side of the border since Zia was killed in a crash Pakistani officials said was probably caused by sabotage.
“All we have ordered is a routine alert,” he told Reuters in Amritsar, a city in the northern state of Punjab where Sikh militants are fighting for an independent homeland.
Indian accusations that Pakistan is backing the militants, have become increase passionate in the last few months.
Maharaj Krishna Rasgotra, former foreign secretary and High Commissioner-(Ambassador) designate to Britain, said: “Relations between the two countries will depend upon whether the new regime will continue the policy of supporting Sikh separatists. We would have to wait and watch.”
Syed Shahabuddin, an opposition member of parliament and former diplomat, described Zia as a consummate diplomat and a stabilizing force in Pakistan.
“If the new leader doesn’t share the quality of diplomacy Zia had, then Pakistan may begin to react to provocative statements (from India),” Shahabuddin said, adding that this could lead to a confrontation.
India and Pakistan nearly went to war early last year when Indian Troops began a massive military exercise along the western front.
Zia adroitly eased the situation by visiting India to watch a cricket match between India and Pakistan sides and talking about peace.
Former Foreign Minister and opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee said Zia’s death had created a vacuum in Indo-Pakistani relations.
Vajpayee, who is joining Venkataraman for the funeral, said in an interview: “Although Zia was a general, he was devoted to peace. He was simple, persuasive and straightforward. He inspired confidence. We have to watch the situation now.”
Article extracted from this publication >> August 26, 1988
