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'Indians oppose Clinton visit to Pakistan'

WASHINGTON: India has said the United States that Indians will "feel bad" if U.S. President Bill Clinton adds Pakistan to his South Asia tour in March, the Indian ambassador to Washington said on Thursday.

Ambassador Naresh Chandra also told a conference on India it might be a mistake for Clinton to go to Pakistan only to make demands on the military government.

He said that in talks with the United States his government had brought up the effect that a Pakistan trip would have on Indian public opinion but that Clinton's itinerary was in the end a U.S. sovereign decision.

Clinton will visit India and Bangladesh during the week of March 20. The United States has not decided whether he will stop in Pakistan, where it wants the government to restore civilian rule and crack down on Islamist militant groups.

Chandra said the Indian invitation to Clinton was "unconditional" but India would have failed in its duty if it had not explained the consequences of the "whole programme."

"The people of India, who have had to undergo a lot of hardship including Kargil and a lot of torment through Christmas and New Year, would feel bad (if Clinton went to Pakistan)," he added.

Kargil in disputed Kashmir was the centre of a 10-week conflict between India and Pakistan in which at least 1,000 people were killed in 1999. India said it began with an attack led by Pakistani army regulars.

India says the Pakistani government was also behind the hijacking of an Indian airliner between Christmas and New Year. Pakistan denies this.

Asked if it might be a good idea for Clinton to go to Islamabad to convey U.S. expectations from military ruler Pervez Musharraf, Chandra said such a high-level visit should not focus on a narrow and negative agenda.

Clinton's visit will be the first to India by a U.S. president for 22 years and underlines the importance that Washington has started to attach to the country.

Chandra said India was already gratified by the regular talks between U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott and Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh.

"This dialogue is quite different from anything we had before and it has generated an understanding that has overflowed into other areas," he said.-Reuters