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India celebrates independence

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, second from left, reviews an honor guard contingent as he arrives to address the nation from the ramparts of the 17th century Red Fort on Independence Day in New Delhi, yesterday. Vajpayee called on Pakistan to work with India to find peace, but also urged Islamabad to end what he called cross-border terrorism. PHOTO: REUTERS

Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee yesterday called on rival Pakistan to give up its "anti-India" stance and work together to end five decades of mutual enmity, particularly over the disputed Himalayan enclave of Kashmir in his Independence Day address.

"We have been fighting for more than 50 years. How much more blood needs to be shed?" Vajpayee said during a nationally televised speech to mark the 56th anniversary of India's independence from British colonial rule.

Instead, India and Pakistan need to fight poverty, unemployment and lack of development, he said.

"We hope that Pakistan will stop its anti-India attitude as people on both sides desire to live in peace," the prime minister said from the ramparts of the 17-century Red Fort, a symbol of Indian nationalism. He spoke during heavy rains, behind bulletproof glass, as thousands of guests provided a colorful backdrop with their umbrellas.

"The path of peace may be uneven and bumpy; there may even be mines strewn along this path," Vajpayee said. "Yet, once we start walking, we will find the hurdles getting out of our way."

Security forces were on high alert in New Delhi and Kashmir, following threats from terrorist groups to disrupt Independence Day celebrations, police said.

Police officials used sniffer dogs and metal detectors to scour New Delhi's historic red sandstone fort. Roads surrounding it were barricaded and cars were being checked after police said they got reports from intelligence agencies that Islamic militants could launch attacks on key economic installations.

Indian police make these claims each year, but there has never been a serious incident on Independence Day.

Vajpayee noted that India had been taking initiatives to make peace with Pakistan.

"But our initiatives should not be taken as a sign of weakness," he said. "Some progress has been made in normalizing relations with Pakistan, but terrorist activities continue."

In April, Vajpayee announced that India wished to resume dialogue with Pakistan, after an 18-month stalemate.

Since then, the two neighbors have resumed diplomatic ties and road links, snapped after a deadly attack on India's Parliament in December 2001.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan's spy agency and Pakistan-based Islamic rebel groups for the suicide attack that claimed 14 lives. Pakistan and the guerrilla groups denied involvement.

India said it would not resume a dialogue unless Pakistan ends its support of terrorist groups operating out of the Pakistan-controlled portion of Kashmir.

"The test of Pakistan's sincerity lies in whether it is ready to completely stop cross-border terrorism," Vajpayee said.

Pakistan responded yesterday by denying that terrorist activities were initiated from Pakistani territory.

"There is no cross-border terrorism from our side," said Pakistan's Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

He said Pakistan appreciated Vajpayee's peace initiatives, "but they should be practical and should be seen in the context of how they work on the ground. We are waiting for an official dialogue to start.

"India should release the prisoners in Kashmir and stop killing innocent Kashmiris," Rashid said.

In Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, more than 20,000 people crowded a stadium to watch the state's top elected official hoist the Indian flag, said Kulbhushan Jandial, a Jammu-Kashmir government spokesman.

"This is the first time in 13 years that so many people have attended the Independence Day event," Jandial said.

The high turnout came despite a call by Kashmiri separatist groups for a strike yesterday in Srinagar, to protest what they call India's domination over the disputed province divided between India and Pakistan.

More than a dozen separatist guerrilla groups have been fighting Indian security forces since 1989, seeking independence for Kashmir or its merger with neighboring Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of arming and funding the guerrillas, a charge Islamabad denies.

More than 63,000 people have been killed in mountainous province claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan.
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