Hours after Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif reportedly said that Kashmir is a flashpoint which can trigger a “fourth war with India”, prime minister Manmohan Singh hits back at his counterpart saying he does not see the possibility of Pakistan winning any war against India in his “lifetime”.
“There is no scope of Pakistan winning any such war in my lifetime,” he told reporters in New Delhi at the reception ceremony held at Navy chief Admiral DK Joshi’s residence on the occasion of Navy Day.
The strong words from Manmohan Singh came in response to his Pakistani counterpart’s statement published in a Lahore-based leading newspaper in which he talked about seeking an early settlement of the issue (Kashmir). “Kashmir is a flashpoint and can trigger a fourth war between the two nuclear powers at any time,” he was quoted as saying by the Dawn daily in his brief address to the budget session of the ‘Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Council’ in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Tuesday.
Sharif also said that he had a dream of seeing “Indian Kashmir” free and hoped to see it happen during his lifetime.
The statement had, however, quoted Sharif as also saying that the Kashmir issue should be settled according to the aspirations of the people and the UN resolutions as peace in the region was not possible without it.
Sharif’s statement came as a surprise as it has been made after the much-hyped peace talks between prime ministers of both nations on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York two month ago in September.
During the talks, both nations agreed to talk about peace and tranquility at the Line of Control.
Though no confidential building measure was announced during the talks, the modalities to create a mechanism to have regular meeting of top army commanders of the both armies was discussed.
About bilateral relations, Sharif categorically reiterated that it was India which indulged in the arms race. “We were drawn into arms race by India,” he said.
Sharif’s comment on arms race is considered as retaliation to Indian Navy’s newly commissioned aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.
However on Wednesday, Sharif’s office strongly denied the news reports that quoted him and said he never uttered those words.
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