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Pakistan accuses India of adopting delaying tactics

Josy Joseph and Sheela Bhatt in Agra

With a restless Pakistani delegation waiting anxiously through Monday afternoon for the joint declaration to close the Agra summit, which was drafted by 1430 IST and was to have been announced by 1630 IST, a senior member of the team accused the Indian side of adopting delaying tactics.

The member pointed out that President Pervez Musharraf wanted to leave for Pakistan by 1930 IST and the Pakistani delegation had no plans of staying back for a third night in India, as reported in some sections of the press.

President Musharraf's spokesman, Major General Rashid Qureshi, acknowledged that they hadn't heard anything from the Indian side ever since 1430 IST, when the final draft of the joint declaration was prepared. "We are told that it is being typed," he told rediff.com on the telephone.

Gen Qureshi said they were first told that a joint press conference would be held at 1630 IST at the Jaypee Palace Hotel to announce the outcome of the summit and present the joint declaration. "Then we were told that it would be held at 6.30pm. Now we don't know," he said.

All preparations had been made at the Jaypee Palace Hotel for the press conference by 1600 IST, but there was no sign of the event beginning till 1900.

Gen Qureshi, however, refused to divulge the contents of the declaration. "It will be unfair to comment on the declaration," he said.

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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