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Digvijay Singh to be 'minister in waiting'

Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi

Minister of State for Railways Digvijay Singh will be the 'minister in waiting' for Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on July 14 and 15 during all official engagements.

Singh was chosen by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to fulfil the protocol obligation.

Singh is a Japan expert and former professor of international relations at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. He has done a doctorate on the peace treaty between China and Japan.

In 1990, when he was the minister of state for external affairs, Abdul Satar, now Pakistan's foreign minister, was the high commissioner in Delhi.

Visibly amused on his appointment, Singh told rediff.com: "I am happy to have been asked to perform this duty. It's always interesting to meet dignitaries informally. I had a good equation with Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharief. We had a hearty talk when they came to India to attend Rajiv Gandhi's funeral."

"I hope the Agra summit succeeds. The future of both countries depends on it," he said.

Singh felt the Agra summit would raise Vajpayee's credentials to a new height.

"Whatever happens on Sunday, the gainer will be Vajpayee. The media curiosity will be over once the Pakistan president leaves. What will linger on is Vajpayee's initiative to bring peace to India and Pakistan," he said.

The Ministry of External Affairs has asked Singh to join Pervez Musharraf at the Air Force airport by 8 am on July 14.

"I am supposed to put President Musharraf to bed in the Dwarika suite of Rashtrapati Bhavan," he added jokingly.

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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