M A I N   N E W S

China calls for restraint
Pak gets loan for Kashmir affairs

Beijing, December 20
In the backdrop of the military buildup along the Indo-Pak borders, China today urged the two neighbours to exercise restraint.

“China strongly hopes that both countries will show restraint to avoid the escalation and deterioration of the already tense relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue was quoted as saying by Chinese news agency Xinhua.

“As a neighbour and friend of both India and Pakistan, China is deeply concerned about the developments along the borders of the two countries”, she added.

China hopes the two nations will solve the current problem through dialogue and consultation and help in maintaining the regional peace and stability, Zhang said.

She was talking to presspersons on the exchange of fires and the escalating tensions along the borders of India and Pakistan.

China will provide loans to Pakistan’s Ministry of Kashmir Affairs under one of the seven agreements signed today.

The agreements, all covering the economic fields, were initialled in the presence of Chinese President Jiang Zemin and visiting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf after their first summit meeting at the Great Hall of People.

Chinese export-import bank will loans to the Pakistani ministry that oversees affairs in Kashmir and Northern Areas in addition for copper and gold mining projects in Pakistan as part of the agreements that would give a boost to the comprehensive partnership between China and Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan today said Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s rejection of a joint probe into last week’s terror attack on Parliament created doubts about India’s “motives” and maintained that Islamabad was willing to examine any “credible evidence” on the involvement of terrorist outfits operating from that country.

Foreign Office spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan told reporters that Pakistan regretted that India had rejected an “eminently fair” proposal for a joint inquiry into the incident and believed that an impartial and comprehensive inquiry was necessary for it to take action.

Stating that Pakistan did not want a rise in tensions between the two countries, he said US Secretary of State Colin Powell had spoken over telephone to President Pervez Musharraf as part of diplomatic efforts to cool down tempers.

He, however, said there were no new proposals under consideration to resolve the problem. UNI, PTI

India not to share evidence with Pak

New Delhi, December 20
India said on Thursday it would share evidence showing Pakistan-based militants were behind an attack on its Parliament with its “friends” but said it saw no need to provide details to Islamabad.

Pakistan has called for a joint investigation into the December 13 attack, blamed by India on the Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatist groups, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Washington, for whom Pakistan is a key ally in its campaign in Afghanistan, also asked New Delhi to share its evidence with Musharraf to strengthen his hands in tackling militants sheltering in his country.

Asked if India would do so, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nirupama Rao said: “Why? Our position on this is very clear. Pakistan has to take meaningful action.”

“We are going to share this evidence with our friends and partners who are united in their determination to fight terrorism,” she said, citing the United States and various European governments, including Britain, France and Germany.

WASHINGTON: The USA, seeking to reduce tension between two nuclear rivals, has urged India to disclose any evidence it has about a deadly attack on its Parliament on December 13 that New Delhi has blamed on Pakistan-based separatists. Reuters