Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Thursday rejected Pakistan's suggestion for de-nuclearising South Asia.

He asserted that India's nuclear programme was not Pakistan-specific, while the reverse was the case with Islamabad. Intervening in a debate on Indo-Pak ties in the Lok Sabha, Vajpayee said, "We have to keep in mind developments in other neighbouring countries as well."

Vajpayee said India has adopted a nuclear doctrine, which categorically states that it will not be the first to use such weapons, while Pakistan is yet to come out with this type of commitment. On Pakistan's offer for a no-war pact, he said instead it should be a declaration against any proxy war by Pakistan.

He said friendship with Pakistan should be maintained 'to the extent possible'. "I have told our Pakistani friends that friends can be changed but not neighbours. We have to live here. We either live as friends or we keep fighting, making ourselves a butt of ridicule before the world."

The prime minister said despite differences of views, the ultimate objective was to maintain India's prestige and honour. An opportunity to make friendship should not be lost, he said. Vajpayee said India and Pakistan should concentrate and move ahead on resolving outstanding issues other than Jammu and Kashmir. Referring to the Lahore Declaration, he said there was no mention of Kashmir.

He also criticised the opposition for its claim that adequate preparation did not take place before the Lahore bus diplomacy and the Agra summit. He added the opposition should not blame him for the failure of the Lahore and the Agra process. "Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf went back empty handed despite putting the entire focus on Kashmir," he said. "We would not have been able to fight in Kargil successfully. Their prime minister had to go (after Kargil)."

Allaying opposition apprehensions that India has softened its stand, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said cross-border terrorism has to end and the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan dismantled.

Vajpayee said the US 'aggression' on Iraq and people's victory in Jammu and Kashmir, though different issues, were linked to each other. The way Iraq was attacked without UN sanction, it was felt developing and small countries, including those which are non-aligned, needed to ponder about their future.

Observing that terrorists are not under the control of any one entity and that they too were divided having politics of their own, he said these considerations also needed to be factored in. Noting that India had not yet begun talks with Pakistan, he said, "Only the preparatory work is on."