NEW DELHI: The Right Wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi said the country must go nuclear without wasting any time since Pakistan has admitted it is a nuclear weapons state.

Ina statement here he said the government can no longer adopt an “ostrich like posture” and the prime minister must take the nation into confidence on the matter.

Dr Joshi said Pakistan has taken provocative steps and drew the government’s attention to the grave threat posed to the country by the Pakistani actions in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.

“The government must call Pakistan’s bluff and be ready to give a befitting reply to any overt action by that state” he said. Pakistan must clearly understand if it continues with its provocations it alone will be responsible for all consequences the BJP leader said.

He said Pakistan has taken provocative steps not only because of “Its congenital anti-India itch but because it has to show its militant clients in Kashmir that it is willing to do something more for them than fight India to the last Kashmiri.”

The Economic Times says the Indian diplomatic efforts are to drive home the point to the world community that the proposed march of JKLF is not that of people who want to return home the consequences of which will not amount to Human Rights Violation.

But it does not find it good to internationalize the issue since India has long shrugged off the role of the U.N. in finding a solution to the Kashmir problem.

It says “this will only encourage Pakistan to engineer more such events But now that the deed is done India must take such damage limitation action as is warranted.

The Hindu says that Pakistan after playing its militant card well now wants to show the world that it has distanced itself from the political misadventure of JKLF.

It says “Pakistan should realize that it cannot hope to siege Jammu and Kashmir by force either on its own steam or through a proxy army.

It says Pakistan is trying to make it a human rights issue by attracting attention to the UN and the world. It adds Delhi should convince the major powers that there no point in opening a Pandora’s Box as Kashmir issue should only be resolved through the framework of the Shimla pact.

Article extracted from this publication >> February 21, 1992