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Musharraf arrives in India

Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf arrived in Delhi on Saturday morning for his summit meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

He was accompanied by his wife Sehba, Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar, Foreign Secretary Inam-ul Haque, military spokesman Major General Rashid Qureshi and Director of Kashmir Affairs Mohammad Sadiq.

He was received by Minister of State for Railways Digvijay Singh and Foreign Secretary Chokila Iyer.

After a short reception at the airport, he drove to Rashtrapati Bhavan where was received by President K R Narayanan and First Lady Usha Naryanan. This was followed by a tri-service guard of honour and a 21-gun salute.

For the first time, perhaps, the Pakistani national anthem was played at Rashtrapati Bhavan when President Musharraf took the salute.

Pakistani and Indian flags fluttered on the flanks of the majestic Raj Path. Huge portraits of the Pakistani president and his wife have been put up at important intersections on the route from the Palam airport to Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The general was seen off at Islamabad by his 80-year-old mother Zareena.

In Delhi, Pakistan High Commissioner Ashraf Jehangir Qazi went up to the Pakistan International Airlines aircraft to receive the general.

Speaking to reporters earlier, Qazi said: "President Musharraf has not repudiated the Simla or Lahore agreements. His statements have been distorted, misinterpreted, over-interpreted, under-interpreted by the media." The high commissioner added that there was no fixed agenda for the talks.

About the likely presence of Hurriyat Conference leaders at the high tea he is hosting this evening, Qazi said: "They are on the guest list and we can't strike them off. It is the general's prerogative."

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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