While Indian troops prepared for a possible war with Pakistan, their government was lobbying its case Wednesday with figures it insists prove that the Pakistani military is supporting guerrillas who cross into Indian-controlled areas of Kashmir.
In briefings for foreign envoys trying to avert a war between the two South Asian nations, Indian officials provided statistics meant to bolster their argument that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has failed to stop infiltration from areas his military controls.
In March, when many routes into Kashmir were covered with deep snow, 132 fighters–most of them Pakistanis and other “foreign mercenaries”–were able to slip over the Line of Control, which divides the two nations in the disputed region, a senior Indian military source said.
The number dropped slightly to 113 in April but then jumped to 165 during the first 27 days of this month, the source said.
It is not possible to independently verify the numbers.
The Indian contention reflects the escalating war of words–and cross-border gunfire–between two rivals on the brink of a fourth war since 1947.
On Wednesday, their forces continued to shell each other across the cease-fire line in Kashmir, killing 23 civilians.
Gunfire erupted Thursday at a police base in Kashmir after a suspected suicide squad of Islamic guerrillas stormed it overnight, killing at least three officers, officials said. The attack took place in Doda, a mountainous area considered a rebel stronghold.
In Washington, the Bush administration warned Wednesday that “irresponsible elements” are exploiting tensions between India and Pakistan and could spur a cycle of violence that in turn could lead to war.
“There is a danger that as tensions escalate, the leaders [of India and Pakistan] could find themselves in a situation in which irresponsible elements can spark a conflict,” State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.
Boucher called on Musharraf to follow up on a pledge to prevent Muslim extremists from operating out of Pakistan.
In the Indian government’s count of recent infiltration, weapons taken from slain militants–such as heavy machine guns, rocket launchers and large amounts of explosives–are among the evidence cited to suggest the Pakistani army’s support of incursions, the senior military source said. Also cited was the evident mobility of the guerrillas.
Kashmir is a mainly Muslim area divided between India and Pakistan by the Line of Control, established after a 1971 war between the two nations. Rebels in the section controlled by India, whose government is dominated by Hindus, have been fighting for an independent state or union with mostly Muslim Pakistan.
Musharraf said Monday night that no militants were entering Indian-controlled Kashmir from Pakistani territory.
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Foreign leaders, including President Bush, reacted skeptically.
Making it clear that his government’s patience is running out, Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh said Wednesday that Musharraf has had enough time to stop what India calls cross-border terrorism.
At the root of the standoff, and diplomatic efforts to resolve it, are conflicting views of where legitimate struggle for freedom ends and terrorism begins.
India sees Kashmiri guerrillas as proxy warriors serving Pakistan, which denies providing anything but moral and political support to the militants.
While condemning attacks on civilians as terrorism, Musharraf defends the right of Kashmiris to wage a “freedom struggle” against Indian rule.