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India reserves right to hit back: Omar Abdullah

Sumir Kaul in Srinagar

Stating that India reserved the right to use its nuclear arsenal if nuked by Pakistan, Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah on Friday said that it was high time that Islamabad's 'bluff' was called.

"I don't think Pakistan is foolish enough to carry out nuclear attack against us. They know after that what serious problems they will have to undergo," Abdullah said in Srinagar.

"We have already assured the international community that we will not make the first use of nuclear weapons, but that does not mean that we will not hit back if attacked," Abdullah said.

He said that Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf should take a look at the atlas and see for himself the size of his country as 'compared with ours'.

He said, "If Pakistan had to use a nuclear weapon, then they could have used it during Kargil war when their soldiers had to bite the dust at the hands of our troops."

Regretting the role of international community, Abdullah said, "The world must not condone terrorism and effectively direct Pakistan to stop all kind of violence being perpetrated from its side in Jammu and Kashmir."

Asked about the diplomatic offensive launched by the world community to defuse the growing tension between India and Pakistan, Abdullah said, "We don't need any sermon, it is to those sitting across the border that all the talking needs to be done."

He said Musharraf was playing on both sides of the fence.

"While he is aligning with world community in its fight against the Taliban on one hand, he supports militancy on the other hand in our state."

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