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Vajpayee calls all parties for second meeting

Bowing to pressure from the Opposition for wider consultations on the Kargil crisis, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has convened an all-party meeting in New Delhi tomorrow to discuss the issues arising out of the conflict.

This will be the second such meeting to be held after army and air force operations began to flush out the infiltrators in the Kargil sector.

The prime minister will also take the opportunity to apprise the Opposition of the government's diplomatic efforts to convince the international community of India's stand.

The international community is being urged to force Pakistan to vacate the territory it has occupied on India's side of the Line of Control.

The meeting may also discuss the demand of the main Opposition parties - the Congress and the Left Front -- for a special session of the Rajya Sabha to take up the matter.

The parties and some former prime ministers have urged President K R Narayanan to use his good offices to ask the government to convene a special session of the Upper House so that a consensus can be arrived at on an important issue like Kargil, which has a bearing on the nation's security.

Vajpayee has met the President on a few occasions to tell him about the latest situation on the LoC. The prime minister had also hinted during his visit to Patna on Friday that the demand for a special session of the Rajya Sabha could be considered.

UNI

The Kargil Crisis

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