NEW DELHI -- For a while, it almost seemed that the recent Gujarat earthquake would help advance the peace process for Kashmir, when Pakistan's military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, not only sent relief goods to the victims but also telephoned the Indian prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to convey Islamabad's condolences.
But this hope was soon belied when the Pakistani administration fed its own press with the news that it was Vajpayee who had called. The move was baffling, as there was overwhelming evidence that the call indeed came from Musharraf.
The Pakistani chief executive has gone a step further to spoil what might have been an excellent way of breaking the ice with Vajpayee. He said in a tough message that he was not happy with New Delhi's peace moves, and that the big neighbor must be prepared to face the consequences of having waged a war against innocent Kashmiri people for about 12 years.