(Fwd) Pakistanis Across the World Condemn Nukes (fwd)
Nalinaksha Bhattacharyya
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 12:48:23 PST8PDT
From: NALINAKSHA BHATTACHARYYA <nalinaksha.b...@commerce.ubc.ca>
To: bha...@unixg.ubc.ca
Subject: (Fwd) Pakistanis Across the World Condemn Nukes (fwd)
August 11, 1998
Dear Friends,
Posted underneath is an important petition signed by over 200 Pakistanis
who oppose the dangerous rise of tensions between India and Pakistan and
condemn Nuclear Tests and weapons. Please circulate this petition widely
all across South asia and throughout the South asian disapora. It is
vital
that this document be reported in the press internationally and be passed
on to anti nuclear activists world wide.
best
South Asians Against Nukes
-------------------------------------------------------
For Immediate Public and Press Release !!
PAKISTANIS ACROSS THE WORLD CONDEMN NUCLEAR TESTS AND WEAPONS
11 August, 1998
To:
Mr. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif
Prime Minister of Pakistan
and
Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee
Prime Minister of India
Dear Prime Ministers,
On behalf of more than 200 Pakistanis - scientists, academics,
educationists, architects, doctors, editors, engineers, journalists,
jurists, lawyers, publishers, teachers, writers, poets, artists,
filmmakers, cultural workers, human rights activists, women rights
activists, anti-child labour and anti-bonded labour activists,
development
and environment experts, human resource developers, economists, political
workers, students and others - I wish to submit a petition to you against
nuclear tests and weapons. The full text and the names of the petitioners
are given below.
Ishtiaq Ahmed
Organizer
PAKISTANIS ACROSS THE WORLD CONDEMN NUCLEAR TESTS AND WEAPONS
The 28 and 30 May, 1998 detonations of nuclear devices by Pakistan and
similar tests conducted by India a few days earlier on 11 and 13 May pose
an incalculable danger and threat to peace and stability in the region.
Thus far only the ability to detonate a nuclear device has been
demonstrated by both sides. Whether effective delivery systems have also
been developed, remains unclear.
If at all these blasts prove anything, it is the horrendous
realization that the chauvinistic and jingoistic lobbies in the two
countries now have at their disposal the means to inflict
irreversible and
irreparable destruction and suffering upon the peoples of the
Subcontinent.
The worst imaginable scenario could be that the whole region slips into
oblivion in the event of a war involving nuclear weapons, leaving behind
enough radioactivity and other lethal agents to menace the health and
safety of regions far beyond and for a long time to come.
There is, of course, the argument that the possession of nuclear
weapons enhances security and thereby contributes to peace, simply
because
if both sides possess them then neither can use them with impunity.
This is
apparently a strong cold-blooded, rational, argument. However, in the
Pakistan-India context it can be shown that such an argument is a bad
one.
Here are some points to consider:
1. Nuclear weapons may be an effective deterrent against total war,
but are
useless as a means of preventing small-scale terrorist activities of the
intelligence services of hostile countries. It is widely believed that at
least since the beginning of the 1980s both sides have been involved in
dastardly acts of terrorism against innocent men, women and children.
Bombs
have been planted in market-places, buses, offices, trains, railway
stations and other such places where people congregate in large
numbers. As
a result, many people have been maimed, killed or simply traumatized.
Against this ongoing undeclared war nuclear weapons are no deterrent. In
fact one can suspect that they will only embolden the secret services to
intensify their nefarious activities and indulge their sadistic impulses
with relish in the vain belief that a large-scale war is now impossible.
2. Low-intensity battles have been going on for years between
Pakistani and
Indian troops along the cease-fire line in Kashmir. Casualties, including
deaths, have occurred on both sides. Nuclear weapons are of no use in
deterring such blood-spilling. On the other hand, the assumption that a
full-scale war is now impossible may perversely encourage local
commanders
to accelerate their war games.
3. Nuclear weapons are a deterrent only if the belligerents are in
possession of superior technology to monitor the situation and ensure
that
accidental outbreak of war can be prevented. However, no foolproof
technology exists anywhere. As recently as 1995 a stray Norwegian rocket
seemingly threatening to enter Russian airspace led the Russian armed
forces to alert President Yeltsin. They subsequently determined that the
missile was not headed for Russia and called off the alert. As we know,
neither Pakistan nor India can claim access to sophisticated
technology at
present. This greatly increases the chances of an accidental use of
nuclear
weapons. In the final analysis, nuclear weapons can never guarantee real
and lasting peace.
We, Pakistanis (included are persons of Pakistani origin and
expatriates),
therefore exhort the two governments to seek other ways and means of
promoting peace and security. They must focus on the ethical and material
well-being of their peoples. It is especially shameful that while the
vast
majority of the people in these two countries have to wage a daily
struggle
for survival their governments waste scarce resources on building weapon
arsenals. The ancient Indian tradition of ahimsa is part of the common
heritage of all the peoples of this region. Many Sufi ideas are also
supportive of peace, tolerance and respect for life. The
ultra-nationalist
and militarist postures of the present regimes, however, negate these
humane values. This must change. Relations between Pakistan and India and
their peoples should be based on goodwill and a commitment to resolve all
controversial issues through discussion and mutual accommodation.
We do not, therefore, find the present policies of the governments of
Pakistan and India on defence and security, especially the acquisition of
nuclear weapon capabilities, justifiable on any grounds. We also find
that
the present arrangement that the USA, Russia, France, Britain and
China can
continue to possess nuclear weapons, arbitrary and flawed. We urge,
therefore, the two governments to work towards a global regime
dedicated to
bringing about the total destruction of all nuclear weapons within a
specified period of time, without linking it to their own right to
nuclearize. As an immediate step, both countries should declare that they
will not embark upon a programme of building nuclear weapon systems.
Statement prepared by:
1. Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed
Associate Professor (Reader)
Department of Political Science
Stockholm University
106 91 Stockholm
Sweden.
Tel: + 46 8 623 15 47 (home)
+ 46 8 16 26 24 (office)
Fax:+ 46 8 15 25 29 (at office)
Statement supported by:
(the persons who have appended their names do so in their individual
capacity and not on behalf of the institutions or organizations they work
at or are affiliated with. The campaign to collect support for the
statement was conducted essentially via email)
2. Dr. Fatima Husain
London
3. Ijaz Syed
San Jose, CA, USA
4. Sain Sucha
Author, Writer and Publisher
Sollentuna, Sweden
5. Riaz Ahmed Cheema
LL.B, D.I.L. (Stockholm)
Solna, Sweden
6.Prof. Dr. Hassan Gardezi
Canada
7. Ayyub Malik
Architect and Planner
London
8. Amena H. Saiyid
(Graduate student
Missouri School of Journalism)
U.S.A.
9. Nusrat Malik
New York
10. Waseem Hussain
Journalist BR, IFJ Zurich
Switzerland
11. Dr. Yunas Samad
Lecturer in Sociology, University of Bradford
UK
12. Dr. Faheem Hussain
Trieste, Italy
13. Mohammed Yusuf Rahat
Virginia, USA
14. Zulekha Yusuf
Virginia, USA
15. Farina Sial
Suffering Physician Assistant
Student at TOURO College, NY
USA
16. Dr. Ahmed Shibli
Director
European Technology Development Ltd, Surrey, UK
17. Tazeen Ali
Sydney, Australia
18. Mahir Ali
Journalist and Poet
Sydney, Australia
19. Mujahid Tirmizey
Chairman Faiz Cultural Academy
London
20. Saeed Minhas
Journalist, Pakistan
21. Rafi Khawaja
Software Engineer, California, USA
22. Dr Bilal Hashmi
USA
23. Tazeen Bari
Pattan, Pakistan
24. Sehba Sarwar
Houston, USA
25. Dr. Zarina Salamat
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
26, Dr. Khushi M. Khan
Institute of Economic Theory and Policy
University of Oldenburg
Germany
27. Dr. Saghir A. Shaikh, Ph.D.
Sacramento, CA, USA
28. Mustafa Hussain
Dept. of Sociology, Lund University
Sweden
29. Dr. A. H. Nayyar
Princeton University, USA
30. Irfan Malik
Austin, Texas, USA
31. Irfan Malik
Punjabi Poet and Writer
Arlington, MA
USA
32. Bakhsh Lyallpuri
Punjabi and Urdu Poet
London
33. Furrukh Khan
Centre for Colonial and Postcolonial Studies
University of Kent, UK
34. Razia Malik
CPA
Chicago, Illinois
USA
35. Fayyaz A. Malik, MD
Prattville, Alabama
USA
36. Dr Sohail Inayatullah
Senior Research Fellow and
Editor, Journal of Future Studies
Brisbane, Australia
37. Aisha Gazdar
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
38. Nosheen Imran
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
39. Sohail Akbar Warraich
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
40. Bushra Rehmat
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
41. Nighat Hafeez
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
42. Fazila Gulrez
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
43. Fauzia Rauf
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
44. Insha Hamdani
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
45. Amtul Naheed
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
46.. Naveeda Hashmi
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
47. Shabana Naz
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
48. Naureen Tawakkal
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
49. Naila
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
50. Ambar Naveed
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
51. Muhammad Anwar
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
52. Muhammad Alamgir
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
53. Khawar Mumtaz
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
54. Farida Shaheed
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
55. Abbas Rashid
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
56. Kamil Khan Mumtaz
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
57. Tasnim Beg
Shirkat Gah, Lahore
Pakistan
58. Zubair Faisal Abbasi
Journalist, Johar Town
Lahore
59. Rafiq Khan
Peace Activist
Stockholm, Sweden
60. Ilyas Khan
Anti-Child Labour and Anti-Bonded Labour Activist
Stockholm, Sweden
61. Faiza Inayat
Islamabad. Pakistan
62. Dr. Zahid Shariff
Olympia, Washington
USA
63. Amar Mahboob
New Jersey, USA
64. Professor Ziauddin Sardar
London, UK
65. Dr Iftikhar Malik
Bath University College,
Bath, UK
66. Nighat Malik
Worcester College, Oxford, UK
67. Farooq Malik
Sussex University
Brighton, UK
68. Sidra Malik
Cherwell Upper School,
Oxford. UK
69. Abdul Majid
MA (Punjab), ADPA (England), DSW (Sweden)
Lahore and Stockholm
70. Mirza Tassaduq Baig
LLM (Jurist)
Vaxjo, Sweden
71. Zahoor Malik
Chicago, Illinois, USA
72. Nadeem J. Z. Hussain
Dept. of Philosophy
Univ. of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
73. Zafar A Malik
Graphic Designer & Art Director
Hounslow, Middx, UK
74. Sameena Z Malik
Hounslow, Middx, UK
75. Saad A Malik
London School of Economics
UK
76. Saeed Anjum
Writer and Filmmaker
Oslo, Norway
77. Ahmed Afzal
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
78. Tanveer A. Janjua
Physician
Sacramento, California, USA
79. Hafsa Rai
Cairo, Egypt
80. Prof. Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy
Visiting Professor
Theory Group for Quarks, Hadrons & Nuclei
Department of Physics, University of Maryland, USA
81. Dr Amjad Ali
General Surgeon
Duke University Medical Center
Durham NC USA
82. Dr. Arif Azad
Writer & Political Activist
Index On Censorship
London, UK
83. Prof. Dr. Riffat Hassan
Department of Religious Studies and Humanities
University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA
84. Mishka Zaman,
Islamabad, Pakistan
85. Masood Munawer Bhatti
Drammen , Norway
86. Khalid Salimi
Editor (Redakt=F8r) SAMORA
OSLO
87. Azad Kausary, Journalist
Lahore, Pakistan
88. Harris Khalique
Poet
Karachi, Pakistan
89. Ahmed Faqih
Urdu and Punjabi Poet
Sollentuna, Sweden
90. Surraya Faqih
Sollentuna, Sweden
91. Sunil Faqih
Royal Institute of Technology
Stockholm, Sweden
92. Adeel Faqih
Sollentuna, Sweden
93. Sonia Faqih-Zadef
Department of English, Royal Holloway College
University of London, UK
94. Sheeba Z. Malik
Chicago, Ill, USA
95. Madiha Z. Malik
Chicago, Ill, USA
96. Khawar Z. Malik
Chicago, Ill, USA
97. Amanullah J. Kariapper
LUMS, Lahore, Pakistan
98. Fatma Shah
Islamabad, Pakistan
99. Abbas Hasan
Islamabad, Pakistan
100. Amenah Hasan
Islamabad, Pakistan
101. Foqia Sadiq Khan
Research Assistant
Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI)
Islamabad, Pakistan
102. Dr. Jennifer Bennett, Research Fellow, SDPI
103. Sajid Kazmi, Research Assistant, SDPI
Islamabad, Pakistan
104. Dr. Kaiser Bengali, Visiting Research Fellow, SDPI
Islamabad, Pakistan
105. Zubair Murshid, Research Assistant, SDPI
Islamabad, Pakistan
106. Dr. Shahrukh Rafi Khan, SDPI
107. Atif Rizwan, SDPI
108. Masood Hussain Qureshi, SDPI
109. Arshad Khurshid, SDPI
110. Dr. Shahid Zia, SDPI
111. Iqbal Haider Butt
SDPI, Islamabad, Pakistan
112. Saba Khattak
Research Fellow, SDPI,
Islamabad
113. Faisal A. Gilani
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
114. Dr. Arshad Waheed
Islamabad, Pakistan
115. Imran Baig
Peace Activist
Solna, Sweden
116. Uzma Jalal Haque
Baltimore, USA
117. Mustafa Kamal Ahmed
Cambridge, MA, USA
118. Dr. Ghazala Anwar, Ph.D.
Philadelphia, USA
119. Mohammed Naim Ullah,
Chartered Civil Engineer
London
120. Mohammad Shamoon Chaudry
New York, NY, USA
121. Hasan Rizvi
Islamabad, Pakistan
122. Isa Daudpota
Islamabad, Pakistan
123. Safiya Aftab
Islamabad, Pakistan
124. Prof. Dr. Asghar Qadir
Department of Mathematics
Quaid-e-Azam University
Islamabad, Pakistan
125. Mehreen Hosain
Islamabad, Pakistan
126. I.A. Rehman
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)
Lahore, Pakistan
127. Aziz A. Siddiqui, HRCP , Lahore
128. Hussain Naqi, HRCP, Lahore
129. Mehboob Khan, Advocate, Lahore
130. Ashar Rahman, Journalist, Lahore
131. Tahira Mazhar Ali Khan
Democratic Women's Association, Lahore
132. Athar Rahman, Advocate, Multan
133. Zaman Khan , HRCP, Lahore
134. Saeed Ahmad Khan, Advocate, Multan
135. Safdar Hasan Siddiqui, Pak-India Forum, Lahore
136. Rao Abid Hamid, HRCP, Lahore
137. Rashed Rahman, Advocate, Multan
138. Sahr Ataullah, HRCP, Lahore
139. Ayesha Vawda
Education Researcher
Washington, DC, USA
140. Dr. Mohammad Tanveer
Secretary, Journalist Resource Centre (JRC)
Lahore, Pakistan
141. Aziz Mazhar, Veteran journalist,
142. Rashed Rahman, The Nation (daily),
Lahore, Pakistan
143. Jalees I. Hazir, Freelance journalist,
Pakistan
144. Muhammad Akram Dail, The News (daily),
Pakistan
145. Vajdaan Tanveer anti-nuclear activist,
Pakistan
146. Fozia Tanveer SAP-PK,
Pakistan
147. Farah Zia, The News
Pakistan
148. Hussain Sajjad, The Nation
Pakistan
149. Noman Yawar, daily Jang
Pakistan
150. Saleem Akhtar, daily Jang
Pakistan
151. Sarmad Manzoor, JRC
152. Amna Rizwan Ali
Islamabad, Pakistan
153. Shahbano Aliani
New York City
154. Najeeba Khan
Research Associate
LUMS, Pakistan
155. Mona Ahmad Ali
Department of Economics
New School For Social Research
New York
156. Maqbool Aliani
Virginia, USA
157. Dr. Altaf Memon
University of Maryland UC
College Park, MD, USA
158. Ayesha Muzaffar
Islamabad, Pakistan
159. Saleem H. Ali
Doctoral Candidate and Voorhees Scholar
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Environmental Policy Group
160. Nadeem Omar Tarar
Lecturer,National College of Arts
Lahore, Pakistan
161. Asif M Mohammad
Senior Software Engineer
California - USA
162. Saad Mufti
Herndon, Virginia, USA
163. Rahil Ahmad
Sollentuna, Sweden
164. Jan Mohammed Baloch
Administrative Coordinator
PanAmSat, Los Angeles, CA
USA
165. Humair Baloch
Student,
El Camino College
Los Angeles, CA, USA
166. Mahroze Baloch
Student
North High School, Los Angeles, CA
USA
167. Fiza Baloch
Student
Magruder Middle School
Los Angeles, CA, USA
168. Saira Latif
LUMS, Lahore
Pakistan
169. Aisha Masood Rashid
LUMS, Lahore
Pakistan
170. Khurrum S. Bhutta
LUMS, Lahore
Pakistan
171. Saara Salim,
BSc student, LUMS, Lahore
Pakistan
172. Majid Munir
Lahore, Pakistan
173. Ameel Zia Khan
BSc.(Hons) Student
Lahore University of Management Sciences,
Lahore, Pakistan
174. Zahra Shamji
Ljunby, Sweden
175. Hameed Ahmed Sheikh
Chartered Architect
Islamabad, Pakistan
176. Faisal Kheiri
Teacher, Lahore American School
Pakistan
177. Kiran Khan
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
178. Azfar Najmi
San Diego, CA
USA
179. Amer Iqbal
Center for Theoretical Physics, MIT,
USA
180. Babar Mumtaz
Reader (Associate Professor)
University College London
London
181. Zia Akhter Abbas
Karachi, Pakistan
182. Irfan Ahmad Khan
Information Technologist, NGORC
Karachi, Pakistan
183. Shamsa H. Khalique
Engineer
Karachi, Pakistan
184. Zafar Ahmed
Engineer
Karachi, Pakistan
185. Dr Shershah Syed
Gynaecologist
Karachi, Pakistan
186. Tariq Khalique
Journalist
Karachi, Pakistan
187. Dr Rana Tauqir Ahmed
Radiologist
Karachi, Pakistan
188. Bilal Ahmad
Economic Journalist
LAHORE
189. Amjid Bhatti
Journalist
ISLAMABAD
190. Adil Manzoor
Graduate student in Geology
Canada
191. Fatima Zahra Hassan
Miniature Painter
NCA, Lahore
192. Dr. Hameed Toor
Department of Electronics
Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad
193. Naseer Ahmad
Asst. Professor
DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE
Malaysia
194. Ibrar Hamayun
Journalist
ACRON FOUNDATION
ISLAMABAD
195. Prof. Dr Tariq Rehman
NIP,
Quaid-e-Azam University,
Islamabad, Pakistan
196. Saeed Ur Rehman
Graduate Student in School of Literature and Art
Australian National University,
Australia
197. DR DURRE S AHMED
Professor of Psychology and Communication
NCA, Lahore
198. Iqbal Jatoi
Program Manager
Action Aid Pakistan
Islamabad
199. Khalid Hussain
Environmental Journalist
Lahore
200. Mahmood U Hassan
St. John College
Cambridge, UK
201. Irfan Mufti
Program Manager
South Asia Partnership
Lahore
202. Tanvir Ahmad
Journalist Resource Centre
Lahore
203. Khalid Umar
Engineer WAPDA, and Consultant
Lahore
204. Syed Sirajus Salekin
Journalist
Sollentuna, Sweden
205. Ali Amjad
Ohio Wesleyan University,
Ohio, Delaware, USA
ramk...@imap3.asu.edu
Oh well.
Ramakrishna.
--
Nalinaksha Bhattacharyya (bha...@unixg.ubc.ca) wrote:
:
: Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 12:48:23 PST8PDT
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
Ras H. Siddiqui
remains
that it was India that started this nuclear madness, to which Pakistan
unfortunately HAD
to respond.
Ras
nda...@aol.com
"Ras H. Siddiqui" <r...@gvns1.gvn.net> wrote:
> One can only agree with the sentiments of these very sane people, but the fact
> remains
> that it was India that started this nuclear madness, to which Pakistan
> unfortunately HAD
> to respond.
>
Actually the statement by 200 Pakistanis, from across the world, rightly
acknowledges the fact that the madness was started by America, followed by
Russia, Britain, France and China (which borders both Pakistan and India).
As Mr. Ras Siddiqui has aptly said, "One can only agree with the sentiments of
these very sane people.."
-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
http://www.dejanews.com/rg_mkgrp.xp Create Your Own Free Member Forum
jit
nda...@aol.com wrote:
> In article <35DB5011...@gvns1.gvn.net>,
> "Ras H. Siddiqui" <r...@gvns1.gvn.net> wrote:
> > One can only agree with the sentiments of these very sane people, but the fact
> > remains
> > that it was India that started this nuclear madness, to which Pakistan
> > unfortunately HAD
> > to respond.
> >
>
> Actually the statement by 200 Pakistanis, from across the world, rightly
> acknowledges the fact that the madness was started by America, followed by
> Russia, Britain, France and China (which borders both Pakistan and India).
>
> As Mr. Ras Siddiqui has aptly said, "One can only agree with the sentiments of
> these very sane people.."
>
> >
> > Ras
> >
FOCUS-India defends N-test,reaches out to Pakistan
(Adds details of celebrations paras 9-10)
By John Chalmers
NEW DELHI, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on
Saturday defended his country's nuclear tests and said he was ready for talks to
mend strained relations with Pakistan and China.
In an Independence Day address to the nation, he said he had not given up
hope of resuming dialogue with Pakistan after the arch-foes' failure to agree on
how to proceed last month.
"I have not given up hope. I am ready to talk to Pakistan at any place, any
level, and on any subject," Vajpayee said in his speech from the soaring
ramparts of Delhi's 17th-century Red Fort.
In parliament, Indian President Kocheril Raman Narayanan threw his weight
behind overtures towards Pakistan and said it had become necessary to resolve
differences peacefully after the May nuclear tests by the two neighbours.
"I think now that both countries have these weapons, it would drive home to
both the inescapable need to settle the differences between them peacefully and
through negotiations," he said in an address to the nation from parliament's
historic central hall where India first declared itself free, 51 years ago.
Narayanan, whose role is largely ceremonial, minced few words as he spoke
about falling standards in public life. "Public office was regarded as a sacred
space. Today it is regarded by an increasing number of wielders of it as an
opportunity to strike gold, and enjoy the loaves and fishes of power," he said.
The ceremonies marked the end of a year of celebrations for India's 50th
year of freedom from British colonial rule.
Celebrations in the restive northeast region were overshadowed by
separatists' call for a strike to stall independence day celebrations. Tribal
guerrillas killed 12 people in three separate attacks in Assam, Tripura and
Manipur states.
Incessant rain failed to dampen the festive spirit and thousands gathered
at Victory Sqaure in the capital to witness a cultural extravaganza featuring
patriotic songs and dances.
Children waved the Indian flag as about 2,000 young people marched past.
Indian and foreign performers took part in folk dances from Indian mythology
with the illuminated Presidential Palace as a backdrop.
Before his address, Vajpayee inspected the guard of honour, three MI-8
helicopters trailing flags showered petals on the gathering and four airforce
jets flew past in formation.
Monsoon rain fell lightly as Vajpayee spoke from behind a bullet-proof
glass shield and under a black umbrella to political leaders, ministers,
diplomats and children who were dressed and seated to form the image of a giant
national flag.
The septuagenarian prime minister, whose health has been a subject of
rumour in the capital for several weeks, was helped down after his speech by a
medical team and bodyguards.
The Press Trust of India news agency said he had pulled a muscle in his
back when he slipped on a wet floor.
In July Vajpayee and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met in Sri Lanka
and asked their foreign ministries to work for a resumption of the peace talks
which stalled last September.
But the two sides failed to agree on how to address the question of
Kashmir, the disputed and rebellion-torn Himalayan region over which they have
fought two of their three wars.
Vajpayee said he would try to get the process moving again when he meets
Sharif at the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Durban, South Africa, at the
end of this month.
"There are no problems that cannot be solved by talks. Whether it is China
or Pakistan we will try to find solutions through talks," he said.
Defending India's underground nuclear blasts, which Pakistan answered with
tests of its own, Vajpayee said they were necessary for national security.
He said the economic sanctions imposed on India after the tests were easing
and world opinion, at first outraged by the bold and defiant step, was
softening.
"Sanctions are loosening up," he said. "Things are changing. The world is
beginning to see our point of view."
India was committed to global disarmament, would not use its nuclear
weapons except in self-defence and had promised not to make first use of such
weapons, the prime minister said.
Vajpayee, whose five-month-old coalition government could collapse if a key
ally acts on its threat to withdraw support, said it was not easy to run a
government with a slender majority. But he promised no compromises to stay in
power.