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Indo-Pak summit around July 10

With Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee recuperating from his knee surgery and Pakistan military ruler General Pervez Musharraf saying that the first fortnight of July "suits me fine", the summit between the two leaders is likely to be around July 10, a top government official said on Friday.

Referring to media reports that Vajpayee would return to Delhi on Tuesday, the official contended that the prime minister's "remarkably speedy recovery from surgery on his right knee'' had helped officials in the Prime Minister's Office to earmark July 10-12 as the most suitable period for the crucial talks on Kashmir and other issues.

He indicated that there had been a "preliminary exchange of views between New Delhi and Islamabad'' on the suitability of July 10-12 as the most ideal period for the summit.

However, ministry of external affairs official spokesperson Nirupama Rao said she would not like to speculate on the date for the talks.

"The dates are still being finalised and that's it," she told reporters.

Other government officials in South Block hinted that once it was finally acceptable to New Delhi and Islamabad, they would be simultaneously announced in both cities.

India's High Commissioner to Pakistan Vijay Nambiar on Thursday flew down for consultations with government officials, including those from the ministry of external affairs, to finalise arrangements for Musharraf's visit.

MEA officials declined to confirm whether Nambiar met senior ministry official Vivek Katju in connection with the talks.

They said that the general's itinerary was being worked out, after which "approval has to be sought from the relevant quarters".

Rao, however, denied a report in a vernacular newspaper that the Vajpayee-Musharraf talks would be held in the idyllic surroundings of Goa.

MEA officials remained non-committal on media reports that Musharraf was keen to visit Ajmersharif, to pay respects at the reputed shrine of Maula Moinuddin Chishti.

Even as occasional statements are being made in New Delhi and Islamabad, which seek to emphasise their respective points of view on the thorny issue of Kashmir, it is apparent that there is a genuine desire between both parties to make the impending talks a success.

"In sharp contrast to previous Indo-Pak talks, both sides involved in the impending Vajpayee-Musharraf dialogue are keen to find a meeting point. That in itself is very significant," a senior official pointed out.

Thus, despite External Affairs and Defence Minister Jaswant Singh's recent assertion that Kashmir was an integral part of India and the Pakistani leaders' refrain that the "core issue of Kashmir'' has to be solved according to the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, the Vajpayee-Musharraf talks may break the ice between the two countries, which has bedevilled relations for more than half a century.

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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