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India summons envoy from Beijing as China, Pak step up hostile campaign

As China and Pakistan stepped up their hostile and malicious propaganda against India, New Delhi called Vijay K Nambiar, its ambassador to China, for urgent consultations.

Talking to reporters, an external affairs ministry spokesman said today that Nambiar was expected to reach New Delhi tonight.

Asked if the ambassador was being called for routine consultations, the spokesman said, ''I can't call it routine in the context of the developments.'' He was obviously referring to the strong Chinese reaction to the nuclear tests conducted by India.

The spokesman 'reserved' his comment on yesterday's statement from Beijing in which China alleged that India had ''occupied'' 90,000 sq km of Chinese territory and New Delhi posed a new threat to China as well as other neighbouring states with nuclear weapons.

''We are not reacting at this stage.... We are reserving our comment,'' the spokesman added.

Meanwhile, the government today firmly ruled out snapping of diplomatic ties with China and Pakistan due to the developments.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's political advisor Pramod Mahajan told the media that ''we are not in favour of severing ties with China and Pakistan and are keen to resolve problems with them through a dialogue.''

He described China's allegation that it was India which invaded them in 1962 as absurd. ''It is a case of the pot calling the kettle back.''

Mahajan said that it was China which was in illegal possession of Indian territory.

He hoped that China would exercise restraint and 'defuse the tension.'

He refused to comment on Home Minister Lal Kishinchand Advani's warning to Pakistan to roll back its anti-India policy or face consequences. ''It is not for me to interpret such things,'' he said.

UNI

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