Democrats back India, ask Pak to quit

Coming out strongly in support of India at the meet, Ackerman and the other Congressmen — party’s leader in the House of Representatives Richard Gephardt, former co-chairman Frank Pallone and Jim McDermott — asked Pakistan to immediately withdraw its troops from Indian soil.

The four, highly-influential Congressmen, made it clear that they would oppose any move by the Clinton administration to repeal the Pressler Amendment, which bans military sales to nuclear states, for the moment.

Ackerman said although he did "not like country-specific amendments, but now is not the appropriate time to remove the Pressler Amendment from the books because of the activity that is going on over the Line of Control in Kashmir."

Ackerman appreciated President Bill Clinton for "making it clear where he thinks the problem lies" and said "it is very easy to understand who the aggressor or transgressor is."

"President Bill Clinton has rightly told both the prime ministers that nothing positive can really happen until Pakistan withdraws its forces and those it has encouraged to cross the line of control," Ackerman said.

Gephardt said the dialogue between Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and Deputy Secretary of US State Department Strobe Talbott has helped Washington understand India’s views on security in the region and New Delhi has learnt more about american strategic interests.

Pallone said the state department has to recognise the fact that India is now a nuclear power. "India is not going to give up its nuclear weapons no matter what we say. We have to acnowledge that and adjust our thinking to the new reality instead of condemnation," he said.

"India has legitimate concerns not only with regard to Pakistan but also with regard to China," he said, adding "I agree with New Delhi’s view that it should have a verifyable minimum nuclear deterrant."

Pak admits to presence in battle

LOS ANGELES: Pakistan has admitted that its troops are fighting Indian soldiers in the Kargil-Drass sector, a media report said here today. Pakistani army spokesman brigadier Rashid Qureshi told the Los Angeles Times that Islamabad’s soldiers were fighting Indian soldiers in Kashmir — in what the paper said was the first public admission that Pakistani soldiers were actively involved in the fight in the region.

Qureshi, however, claimed that Pakistani troops had not crossed into indian territory.