Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee told Parliament that India would continue to stand by its no first use self-moratorium.
"Pakistan's atomic program is India-specific. But India's nuclear program is not Pakistan-specific," he said. "We have to keep in mind developments in other neighboring countries as well."
India is flanked by Pakistan on its west and China on its north. It has fought several wars and has territorial disputes with both nations. When India tested nuclear devices in May 1998, Defense Minister George Fernandes said he regarded China a bigger threat than Pakistan.
"I have told our Pakistani friends that friends can be changed but not neighbors. We have to live here," Vajpayee said. "We either live as friends or we keep fighting, making ourselves a butt of ridicule before the world."
Reacting to Pakistan's no-war pact offer, Vajpayee said there should be an agreement first to no proxy war.
Predominantly Hindu India accuses Muslim Pakistan of aiding and abetting a 14-year-old armed Islamic uprising in Kashmir, the predominantly Hindu country's only Muslim-majority state that has left 38,000 people dead. Islamabad denies the charge, saying it only provides moral and diplomatic support to the separatists.
Both countries claim Kashmir in its entirety and the region has been the main stumbling block between the two neighbors who have fought three wars since simultaneous independence from Britain in 1957.
Vajpayee said Thursday both nations should concentrate and move ahead on resolving outstanding issues other than just the Kashmir boundary dispute.
On April 18, the Indian leader offered to resume bilateral peace talks with Pakistan, ending an 18-month bitter standoff that almost sparked another war. Islamabad reciprocated to Vajpayee's gesture by inviting him to visit Pakistan.
The two nations also announced several confidence-building measures, including the reappointment of their respective envoys and resumption of transport links.
India had recalled its high commissioner to Islamabad and had forced Pakistan to recall its envoy from New Delhi following a deadly terrorist attack on Indian Parliament in December 2001.
In Washington, diplomatic sources told United Press International Thursday that talks may be held sometime next month after full diplomatic and travel links are restored. Diplomatic links are expected to be restored later this month.
On U.S. advice, the first round of talks will be held at a lower level, involving senior officials of the two countries' respective foreign ministries, the sources said.
The two new ambassadors may also attend the first round of talks, which may be held either in Islamabad or New Delhi, the sources said.
"These will be exploratory talks, both sides identifying the problems and their possible solutions which will then be discussed at a higher level," said a senior South Asian diplomat.
The sources said India and Pakistan wanted their foreign secretaries to lead the first meeting, but the Americans advised them to go slow, reminding them of the failures of previous attempts to move fast. Both previous attempts were at the top level.
"The Americans are saying: hear each other out first; firm up your proposals and involve your senior officials and leaders only when you are ready to take decisions," said the South Asian diplomat.
A second meeting, between the two foreign secretaries, will prepare grounds for talks between their foreign ministers. The two foreign ministers will then look at the possibility of a summit between Prime Ministers Zafarullah Khan Jamali and Vajpayee.
"And then there will be a cooling-off period, allowing both sides to review the agenda for the summit before the two prime ministers actually meet," the diplomat said.
Several names are being discussed in Washington for the first meeting. If the two sides decide on a mid-level meeting, India may opt for Arun Singh, its joint secretary for South Asia. His equivalent in Pakistan is Jaleel Abbas, director general, South Asia.
If it is at a higher level, then both countries may send their additional secretaries with Towheed Ahmad, additional secretary Asia and Pacific representing Pakistan.
The thaw in ties also led a 13-member delegation of Pakistani lawmakers to arrive in India on a goodwill visit. The lawmakers were garlanded and accorded a red carpet welcome when they crossed the international border by foot at Wagah, in northern India, for a weeklong visit.
The unofficial visit by the Pakistani members of Parliament was planned before New Delhi offered on April 18 to resume bilateral peace talks with Islamabad to resolve outstanding issues. The visit is aimed at bolstering people-to-people contact between the two neighbors.
Washington has also been encouraging the peace initiatives.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who is visiting the region, said Thursday that Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had assured him there were no terrorist-training camps in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and even if there were a few left, they would be "dismantled tomorrow."
Armitage has maintained he is not carrying any proposal for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. He is due to meet Indian leaders in New Delhi over the weekend.
Copyright 2003 United Press International
All rights reserved.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.