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Indian hardliners to blame for summit failure: Musharraf

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said that India and Pakistan could not sign a joint declaration at the Agra summit due to a "split" in the "ranks" of the Indian government and blamed the Indian "hardliners" for the failure of talks, media reports said on Thursday.

"Both sides had come close to signing the declaration but the Indians, particularly the hardliners, were not ready to give peace a chance," he was quoted as saying at a joint meeting of his cabinet and the all powerful National Security Council on July 18, a day after his return from Agra.

"It was apparent that there was a split in their ranks," English daily Dawn quoted him as saying.

Quoting cabinet sources, the daily said the military ruler informed the meeting that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh were flexible in their approach.

Musharraf, according to the newspaper, said Vajpayee definitely wanted the peace process to go on but the hardliners thwarted the signing of the declaration

The Pakistani president, at his press conference on July 20, had appealed to the moderates on both sides to play their role in order to ensure peace and stability in the region.

PTI

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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