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Jaswant Singh, Aziz begin talks

External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz today began talks on the Kargil issue amidst high security at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi.

While Jaswant Singh is being assisted by Foreign Secretary K Raghunath, Joint Secretary (Pakistan) Vivek Katju and Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan G Parthasarthy, Aziz is accompanied by foreign ministry spokesman Tariq Altaf, Pakistan High Commissioner to India Ashraf Jehangir Qazi and other senior officials.

Aziz, who arrived in New Delhi from Islamabad on a special Pakistan air force plane earlier today, will meet Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee later this evening.

Despite persistent questioning by a large number of waiting media persons, the two ministers went into the meeting without talking to reporters or posing for the customary photographs.

India has made it clear that it would only discuss the withdrawal of Pakistani troops and Islamabad-backed Mujahideen from the Indian side of the Line of Control. India would also forcefully raise the issue of the Pakistan army's barbaric torture and killing of Indian Army personnel.

Outside the Hyderabad House, National Akali Dal activists demonstrated to protest against the holding of the talks. At least a 100 of them courted arrest after shouting slogans.

At the airport when Aziz arrived and was received by Jaswant Singh, workers of the Delhi Pradesh Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal courted arrest after protesting there.

UNI

The Kargil Crisis

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