Vajpayee said, ``Pakistan cannot force India to dialogue at gunpoint. Violence is no way to open dialogue.''

Emphasising that Pakistan has to stop abetting terrorism and spewing violence in the Valley before they face India squarely at the table, Vajpayee said,``Dialogue cannot be just for show. It has to be meaningful. No one can force us to the table for talks through threats.''

The Prime Minister was addressing the first BJP rally for the Lok Sabha elections held to introduce its candidates from Delhi.

Vajpayee hit out at the Opposition for criticising his Government's actions in Kargil. ``They are saying we should not have let the infiltrators go. What could we do? Shell the retreating intruders from the back?'' Vajpayee subtly justified his Defence Minister George Fernandes's controversialstatement at the beginning of the Kargil crisis.

Vajpayee said it is still a ``mystery'' to him why Pakistan embarked on the Kargil misadventure. He, however, added that Pakistan's stepped up terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir were a fallout of the Kargil fiasco . In his 40-minute Kargil dominated speech, Vajpayee dipped into his poetic reserves, saying: ``Unko to bade be-abru hoke Kargil se jana pada. (They had to leave Kargil bereft of their dreams).''

The Prime Minister said Pakistan even refused to take back bodies of its soldiers. ``Our Muslim jawans had to perform the last rites. It is not just a question of war but also of humanity. We believe in honouring the dead and not mutilating their bodies.''

Criticising the Opposition for playing politics with national security issues, the Prime Minister said the image of the country had received a fillip after Kargil.