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Air chief refuses to salute Musharraf

In a conspicuous departure from strict protocol requirements, Air Chief Marshal Anil Yashwant Tipnis did not salute President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan at the ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Saturday morning. Instead, the Indian Air Force chief merely shook hands with the Pakistani general.

Air Chief Marshal Tipnis, who was representing the three services according to the rotational principle followed by the defence chiefs for ceremonial welcomes, was in the front row of dignitaries.

There was much speculation before the reception as to how he would greet the man seen as the mastermind of the Kargil conflict.

A controversy had erupted during the visit of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Lahore in 1999 when the three service chiefs of Pakistan, including General Musharraf, who was then the army chief, had refused to come to the Wagah border to greet the visiting Indian leader.

Another noticeable sidelight was the choice of a strapping six-footer Wing Commander Pawan Rishi from the communications squadron to lead the inter-services guard of honour and escort General Musharraf to inspect the 150-strong defence forces contingent.

The selection of a tall parade commander was, according to a section of the media, made deliberately so that the visiting general would have to look up to him at the end of the guard of honour while taking the salute.

PTI

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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