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No third party will be involved in Indo-Pak dialogue: PM

A day before President Pervez Musharraf's arrival, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee asserted that India's position on Jammu & Kashmir stems from "the core principle of our nationhood" and rejected any third party's involvement in the dialogue with Pakistan.

Voicing the hope that Pakistan's military ruler would bring to their summit meeting "a desire to bury the conflicts of the past", Vajpayee said he was ready to "frankly discuss" differences between the two countries on Jammu & Kashmir as well as on other issues.

The prime minister told the Press Trust of India in an interview on Friday that it was important for the two countries to work towards dispelling the climate of mistrust and suspicion "which has bedevilled our relationship for so long".

Asked about his feelings towards General Musharraf, "who is widely perceived to be the man responsible for the Kargil war which cost us [India] so many precious lives", Vajpayee replied, "No one can forget the bravery and sacrifices of our armed forces, who successfully vacated Pakistan's armed aggression and intrusion at Kargil."

"But," he added, "we have to move ahead to the future."

Commenting on Pakistan's stand that the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference should be involved in the discussions on Jammu & Kashmir, Vajpayee said that under the Simla Agreement and Lahore Declaration, "which are the cornerstones of our bilateral relations", India and Pakistan are committed to addressing all issues peacefully through bilateral dialogue.

"There is no question of any third-party involvement in such a dialogue," the prime minister asserted.

"As part of our efforts to restore peace and normalcy in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, we have initiated dialogue with all groups that abjure violence, and individuals who are interested in peace. We remain committed to this dialogue process," he said in reply to a question whether he foresaw a stage when the representatives of the people of the state would participate in the Indo-Pak dialogue.

Asked about Gen Musharraf's stand that the Kashmir issue should be addressed first and that the Agra summit should not get involved in "peripheral issues", the prime minister said, "No issue that contributes to the establishment of peace, friendship and co-operation between India and Pakistan can be considered peripheral."

Asked about his expectations from the Agra summit, he said, "India has always endeavoured to build a relationship of peace, friendship and co-operation with Pakistan. All our initiatives in the past, including the composite dialogue initiated by India in 1998 and my visit to Lahore in 1999, have been guided by this objective," he replied.

Asked how hopeful he was about narrowing the sharp differences between the neighbours, Vajpayee said it was his hope and desire that his meeting with Musharraf would contribute to the building of trust and confidence.

Reacting to the general's statement that both countries should go beyond their publicly declared stands on Kashmir and show flexibility, he said, "India's position on Jammu & Kashmir doesn't require any reiteration, and stems from the core principles of our nationhood."

Asked if there a possibility of the summit producing agreements on Siachen and measures to maintain peace along the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir, Vajpayee replied, "India will do all it can to work towards peace and stability along the LoC and the Actual Ground Position Line in Siachen. This will certainly be among the subjects I will discuss with President Musharraf."

PTI

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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