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Krishnamraju May Receive Musharraf

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Minister of State for External Affairs V Krishnamraju, designated 'minister in waiting', is likely to receive Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf on July 14 at the airport, a top official of the Ministry of External Affairs indicated on Friday.

The official pointed out that from the airport, General Musharraf would proceed to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he will be welcomed by President K R Narayanan.

President Narayanan will also hold a banquet in honour of the visiting dignitary at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Home Affairs is not very keen to let Hurriyat leaders meet the general during his stay in India. "As far as we are concerned, he is coming here to hold talks with his Indian counterpart. We will not allow any third party participation," said a senior official.

Significantly, a Hurriyat delegation headed by Abdul Gani Bhat is already in Delhi pushing for a meeting with both Vajpayee and Musharraf.

Though it is not yet clear where Musharraf will put up, if he opts to stay at the Pakistan High Commission, it would mean more problems for the Indian authorities. For, then it would be difficult to prevent Hurriyat leaders from calling on him.

However, an MEA official, said: "I don't think the general will opt to stay at the high commission. The idea seems too far-fetched to me."

But with the Pakistani establishment asserting that the Kashmiri people will have to be involved in any solution to the Kashmir dispute, the possibility cannot also be denied altogether.

Meanwhile, residents of Old Delhi are awaiting a word from the Pakistan High Commissioner Ashraf Jahangir Qazi whether General Musharraf would find time to visit 7 Neharwali Haveli, where he was born.

The area is already being spruced up in anticipation of the VVIP visit.

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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