Vajpayee seeks support for Pakistan stance

Vajpayee addresses a national executive meeting of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in New Delhi

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee convened leaders of his country's political parties Sunday to discuss the rising tensions with Pakistan.

Vajpayee, leader of the ruling BJP party, already has the support of the main opposition Congress party in its stand on Pakistan, so the backing of the other parties was expected.

The Hindu-nationalist BJP held an executive committee meeting Saturday in which Vajpayee said India does not want war with Pakistan, but that its neighbor must take stronger action against Islamic militants operating in its country.

"The nation should be ready for any eventuality," read a resolution passed at the executive meeting.

Vajpayee also reiterated his calls for the international community to become more engaged in the situation and put more pressure on Pakistan.

In Islamabad Sunday, Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf held consultations with top politicians at his house about the situation with India.

MORE STORIES • Fearful villagers flee India-Pakistan border  • U.S. accused of targeting Pakistan    RESOURCES Message Board: India and Pakistan    COUNTRY PROFILE At a glance: India | Pakistan Provided by CountryWatch.com   AUDIO Vijay Dutt, London-based journalist with the Hindustan Times has India's perspective 1.7 MBs / 2 mins 40 secs WAV sound Shahed Sadullah, Journalist with the Daily Jang has Pakistan's perspective 3.3 MB / 5 mins 17 secs WAV sound

But the meeting drew criticism at home, with leaders of four parties complaining they were not invited to take part.

The Pakistan Peoples Party -- the party of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto -- and PML, the party of ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, both said their parties did not receive formal invitations to attend.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Jamaat-e-Islami, two leading fundamentalist parties, also said they were snubbed. Their party chiefs have been under arrest for the past two months, and the groups were active in anti-American demonstrations in October.

While Indian and Pakistani government officials blamed each other for the rise in tensions, U.S. President George W. Bush telephoned the leaders of both countries Saturday urging the nuclear powers to work to reduce the tensions in the area.

Each country has been insisting the other make the first move to stop the steady escalation that has sped up dramatically since December 13, when an attack by Pakistan-based Islamic militants on the Indian parliament left 14 dead.

Sunday's meeting is important for Vajpayee as opposition parties have criticised the government for not consulting them before imposing diplomatic sanctions on Pakistan.

Some senior Congress leaders also feel Vajpayee's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to whip up war hysteria.

No meeting with Musharraf

In his conversation with Vajpayee, Bush said the United States was "determined to cooperate" with India to fight terrorism and reiterated U.S. "outrage" over the parliament attack. He also told Vajpayee the attack was a "strike against democracy."

Vajpayee stressed Sunday he would not attend any meeting with Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, but hopes were high the foreign ministers of both countries might meet on the sidelines of the upcoming South Asian summit in Nepal next week.

Indian troops were still moving towards the Line of Control in Kashmir Sunday, continuing a deployment of thousands of troops that was expected to be complete some time Sunday.

Daily gunfire exchanges across the line of control have killed civilians and authorities on both sides have ordered the evacuation of some villages.

A defence spokesman in Jammu said troops from both sides exchanged small arms fire overnight.

"The exchange of small arms fire continued throughout Saturday night at Samba and Poonch sectors. There were no casualties," the spokesman told Reuters news agency on Sunday.

Police said one person was killed and 11 were injured in a grenade attack late on Saturday at a busy market in Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir state. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.