''If he (Musharraf) is man enough, let me correct that, if he is mad enough to override international opinion on that scale, then surely he must do it (launch a nuclear strike),'' Padmanabhan said at a press conference, a day before Musharraf was due to make a televised address outlining his policy toward 'jihadist' groups operating from Pakistan.

Following a visit by British Prime Minister Tony Blair to the sub-continent earlier this week to help defuse tension as the nuclear-armed neighbors massed troops along their 3,000 km border, pressure has been growing on Musharraf to clearly state his stand on terrorism.

''We are looking forward to the speech he (Musharraf) will be giving later this week, which I think will be a powerful signal to his nation and to India and to the rest of the world,'' U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was quoted as telling journalists in Washington following a meeting with India's Interior Minister Lal Krishna Advani on Thursday.

Powell prompted Musharraf to include in the address, scheduled for Saturday evening, ''a condemnation of terrorism of any kind, because it is no longer acceptable in the 21st century for nations to live under this kind of threat''.

For Musharraf, that would be a clear comedown from the position he took at last week's South Asian summit in Kathmandu, where he reiterated that ''freedom struggles'' had to be differentiated from terrorism.

Musharraf's reference was to the territory of Kashmir, the possession of which is disputed by Pakistan and India when they were created by dividing what was British India until independence in 1947.

Since then, the armies of the two countries have fought each other to a standstill along the Line of Control (LoC), which runs through Kashmir and across which artillery fire is regularly exchanged.

India alleges that Pakistan has been arming and training 'jihadist' groups to foment separatist violence in its portion of Kashmir, but Pakistan claims that these are indigenous groups fighting for freedom.

After a suicide squad made an aborted attempt to blow up Indian Parliament on Dec.13, India's normally mild-mannered prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, said his patience was at an end.

He and his Cabinet ordered the halving of the strength of diplomatic Missions, the recall of India's high commissioner in Islamabad and banned flights by Pakistani aircraft over Indian airspace.

But what set alarm bells ringing internationally was the reported redeployment of the bulk of India's more than a million-strong army, along with tanks and missile batteries, on the border with Pakistan, where US troops fighting the war against terror in Afghanistan are based.

The 'New York Times' reported Friday that the US national security staff has intensified surveillance in the region for any evidence of the two countries deploying their nuclear arsenals.

''We are significantly more worried today than were several days ago,'' the 'Times' quoted a senior member of President George W Bush's national security staff as saying.

Padmanabhan admitted that a nuclear exchange between the two neighbors would be ''disastrous'', but was confident that India would survive a first strike by Pakistan to inflict unacceptable damage on its adversary.

''Let me assure you of one thing as surely as I'm alive,'' he said. ''Should a nuclear weapon be used against India, Indian forces, our assets at sea, economic, human or other targets, the perpetrators of that outrage shall be punished so severely that their continuation thereafter in any form or fray will be doubtful.''

Echoing the stand of other Indian officials, Padmanabhan dismissed steps taken by Pakistan since the Dec 13 attack. He said the banning of two 'jihadist' groups that India named as responsible for the attack on its Parliament and the arrest of some of their leaders and cadres was ''cosmetic'', and meant for the benefit of the US forces in Pakistan.

''The terrorist cadres have been dispersed -- some to nearby villages, others to Pakistan Army units - so that they won't come to the notice of US forces,'' he added.

In addition to its call for the closure of 'jihadist' camps operating from Pakistani territory, India has also demanded that Islamabad extradite 20 individuals, on charges ranging from hijacking to acts of terrorism.

Musharraf, under growing pressure at home not to be seen as giving in too much to India, has refused to comply with his. He said that Pakistan could try, in its territory, whoever was involved in the Indian Parliament attack.

India has matched its military posture with a diplomatic offensive led by Advani, who is currently campaigning for New Delhi's position in Washington as India tries to get the United States to bear down on Pakistan under the international campaign against terrorism.

Powell, who is due to travel to South Asia next week to counsel peace, was quoted as saying he has indicated to Advani that the United States was hopeful.

Copyright © 2002 IPS-Inter Press Service

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