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Differences over wordage led to summit deadlock

Differences over wordage led to summit deadlock

Author:
Publication: The Navhind Times, Panaji, Goa
Date: July 19, 2001

Sharp differences over use of words like "dispute", "cross border terrorism" and "freedom struggle" in relation to Jammu and Kashmir were among the factors that led to a deadlock at the Vajpayee-Musharraf summit in Agra, highly placed sources said tonight.

Pakistan President, Gen Pervez Musharraf's meeting with Hurriyat leaders and his televised breakfast meeting with Indian editors added to vitiating the atmosphere, they said giving details about the reasons that led to the stalemate.

The two things which really "hurt" India were Gen Musharraf's meeting with Hurriyat leaders and the televised meeting with editors where the visiting dignitary attacked New Delhi on the host's soil.

"The telecast of the meeting caught the Indian government unawares hurting its sentiments and what added to the insult was Gen Musharraf's insistence on Kashmir," sources said.

At one point of time India agreed to give topmost priority to Kashmir in the proposed joint declaration while making the confidence building measures the second important point.

But when Pakistan refused to accept inclusion of the phrase cross-border terrorism, India objected to signing the document.

What was all the more objectionable was Islamabad insisting there should be a rider that this is all agreed subject to and dependent upon the "movement" in Kashmir, the sources said. The sources said though Gen Musharraf agreed at the breakfast meeting with editors to accept Kashmir as an "issue" and not as a "dispute", at the time of drafting the declaration the Pakistan leader insisted on using the word "dispute".

On the phrase "cross border terrorism", Gen Musharraf was not prepared to accept it saying that what was taking place in the valley was a "freedom struggle".

Another road block was Gen Musharraf's rider that till Kashmir issue was not resolved relations between the two countries cannot be normalised, the sources said.

When Gen Musharraf asked Mr. Vajpayee before leaving for Islamabad why Kashmir was a "taboo" for India, the Prime Minister replied that if the Pakistan leader wanted to make Kashmir the central issue, "then we would have to go back to the partition days."

Mr. Vajpayee told Gen Musharraf despite the perception that the Pakistan President was the author of Kargil, he was invited for a summit as India wanted peace "but you spoke of the 1971 Bangladesh war".

Refuting charges that the government had not done any "home work" before the summit, the sources said all channels were opened with Pakistan through the ministry of external affairs but it seems Pakistan was not keen on making pre-summit preparations.
 


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