India talks war, but diplomacy first

India's Vajpayee faces pressure to act unilaterally against terrorists

NEW DELHI, India -- Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has said his government is discussing war as an option in response to last week's raid on parliament but is using diplomacy with Pakistan as its first weapon.

In his first statement to parliament since the December 13 suicide attack that killed 13 people, including the five assailants, Vajpayee on Wednesday also said he would build a consensus before any retaliation.

"We are trying to address this diplomatically, but other options are also open, too," he said in a firm speech that lasted almost 35 minutes.

"The question is not whether there should be a war or not," Vajpayee said. "The question to be debated is in what circumstances there could be a war."

Vajpayee's coalition government, which has blamed the parliamentary attack on Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatists backed by Pakistan, is under pressure from his own party to launch a military strike against the militants despite international appeals for restraint.

Caution

ANALYSIS Mark Tully on India's response    MORE STORIES • Suicide raid on parliament 'bungled'    AUDIO Maria Ressa reports on Vajpayee's address 1.72MB / 2 min. 44 secs. WAV sound   VIDEO CNN's Maria Ressa has more on the suicide attack against India's Parliament and who may be behind it (December 17) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   COUNTRY PROFILE At a glance: India Provided by CountryWatch.com   COUNTRY PROFILE At a glance: Pakistan Provided by CountryWatch.com    CNN.com Asia More news from our Asia edition

He said that India is at a point of crisis and the entire country must meet that challenge.

But India's leader, buoyed in part by U.S. appeals for restraint, has urged caution, saying India must act only after a thorough probe.

Although it has not yet outlined a response to the attack, India is weighing military and diplomatic measures against Pakistan who it holds responsible for the attacks.

New Dehli has said that India is determined to stamp out terrorism in the wake of the bloody raid.

Already India has said Thursday's operation was planned by Pakistan's intelligence agency and has linked the attack to two Pakistan-based militant groups.

It says the attack on parliament was intended to wipe out India's leadership, and has reinforced its accusation that Pakistan is to blame.

Islamabad has denied India's allegations of involvement, but said it would consider action against anyone based in Pakistan if India gave proof.

Political mileage

Pakistan on Tuesday again offered to join India in a probe into the parliament attack. However those offers were rejected by New Delhi, a spokesman for Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said.

Vajpayee also urged legislators to work together for security in a determined manner, saying that at no point should this issue be used for political mileage.

Many Indian lawmakers are demanding the military cross the frontier in the disputed northern state of Kashmir to carry out attacks similar to the Israeli strikes in Palestinian areas.

They say the raid on parliament was the last straw for the nation that has lost 54,000 people to separatist and terrorist violence in five decades.

China and the United States have urged India to refrain from any military clash with Pakistan. However, the threat of military action remains.

In the last 72 hours, there has been a build-up of troops on both sides of the Line of Control separating India and Pakistan in Kashmir.

There have also been reports of artillery firing across the line.

India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over the issue of Kashmir, which both nations claim.

However, India has never crossed the line of control.