Pakistan slams India over attack response

Many Indians blame Pakistan for the attack and have called for retribution

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Pakistan's leader General Pervez Musharraf has slammed India's decision to cut transport ties and withdraw a top diplomat following a deadly attack on the Indian parliament last week.

Musharraf, who is on a five-day political mission in China, described India's actions as a "very arrogant and knee-jerk response", Reuters news service reports.

But he said Pakistan would not respond in kind.

India said on Friday it was recalling its envoy to Pakistan and halting bus and rail services between the two countries after accusing Pakistan of failing to act against terrorism.

New Delhi has also moved more troops to its border with its western neighbor.

But, when asked whether Islamabad would respond in kind, Musharraf replied: "No."

India, which blames two Pakistan-based Kashmiri groups for last week's suicide attack on its parliament in which 14 people, including the five assailants, were killed, said its troop movements were a response to "massive" Pakistani military movements.

India has recalled its High Commissioner to Pakistan.

"In view of this complete lack of concern on the part of Pakistan and its continued promotion of cross border terrorism, the government of India has decided to recall its High Commissioner in Islamabad," a statement from India's external ministry said Friday.

A spokesperson for the ministry said that the actions would take place January 1, 2002.

India says it has evidence that two Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatist groups -- the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed -- were involved in the suicide raid on parliament that killed 14 people including five gunmen.

Both groups are on a U.S. list of terrorist organizations and both have denied responsibility for the attack on parliament.

Requests ignored

RESOURCES Message board    ANALYSIS Mark Tully on India's response    MORE STORIES • Suicide raid on parliament 'bungled'    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

Following the December 13 attack, India demanded that Pakistan arrest the groups' leaders and freeze their assets.

However, India says Pakistan has ignored the requests.

Islamabad has condemned the attack but says it needs to see the evidence before taking action.

It has also dismissed accusations from New Delhi that the Pakistani intelligence service was also linked to the parliament raid.

On Wednesday, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee rejected Pakistan's offer for a joint investigation into the attack, saying India had all the proof it needed.

"The bullet marks on the walls of Parliament House, the bodies of terrorists were strewn all around and the evidence that they were Pakistanis is proof in itself," he said.

Under pressure

Vajpayee's coalition government is under pressure from his own party to launch a military strike against the militants despite international appeals for restraint.

"If it does not crack down on the terror groups that are operating in Pakistani territory, which are all part and parcel of the Pakistani military intelligence, India will have no option but to wage war," Indian political analyst Brahma Chellaney told CNN.

On Wednesday in his first address to parliament since the attack, Vajpayee spoke of two concerns -- domestic anger after the attack, and the need to harness international support in its campaign.

"This is a crisis, and the people who have triggered this crisis are playing a very dangerous game," he said.

"People are trying to tell us that we should exercise restraint. When did we not exercise restraint? But people have taken our restraint as a sign of weakness."

Troop build-up

After the attack, there were fears that India might cross Kashmir's Line of Control to attack what it believes are terrorist training camps.

There have been reports of both neighbors strengthening border forces.

Soldiers from both sides have been seen taking up positions closer to the line that divides the two nuclear nations.

"I spotted the movement of army tanks and heavy vehicles late last night. This morning … I saw Pakistan too had moved its troops up to the border," Buta Singh, a farmer from a village overlooking Pakistani territory, told Reuters news agency.

In the disputed territory of Kashmir Indian and Pakistani soldiers have been firing across the Line of Control for the last two days.