Govt. discounts report on Niaz Naik 'mission'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 2. The Government is dismissing speculation in the Pakistani media that Mr. Niaz Naik, former Pakistan Foreign Secretary, may be in the capital for back-channel diplomacy between New Delhi and Islamabad.

Sources in the Government said it is unlikely that any top officials here, let alone senior political figures, will have any time for Mr. Naik.

As a former High Commissioner to India, Mr. Naik has good contacts here and is a regular on the South Asian seminar circuit.

While there may be a political motivation in Pakistan to project every visit to New Delhi by Mr. Naik a serious diplomatic mission, sources say he might be here just to attend a seminar.

Diplomatic observers here say India's experience with Mr. Naik as a back channel during the Kargil crisis could not have been a happy one, and that it is unlikely that he carries much credibility with the establishment here.

Informed sources here suggest the Government is in no mood to consider any serious diplomatic interaction with the regime of General Pervez Musharraf unless there is tangible evidence of an end to Islamabad's support for cross-border terrorism.

Secret talks?

By Amit Baruah

ISLAMABAD, APRIL 2. The former Pakistani Foreign Secretary, Mr. Niaz Naik, ``suddenly'' left for New Delhi to hold ``secret meetings'' with senior Indian leaders, including the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, and his ``close aides'', the Jang newspaper reported today.

Earlier, he was used by the ousted Pakistan Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif, in his ``back-channel'' diplomacy with India.

There is little doubt that Mr. Naik is now in New Delhi, but that his mission is to ``secretly engage'' the Indian leadership on behalf of the new rulers of Pakistan, appears to be pure speculation.

An independent verification reveals that Mr. Naik has gone to New Delhi to attend a meeting of the Council of South Asian Cooperation, a voluntary organisation.

Soon after the Kargil conflict ended, Mr. Naik was once again in New Delhi for an NGO meeting and similar ``stories'' were floated at that time too.

'No' to peace forum activists

Meanwhile, Islamabad nipped in the bud plans made by activists of the Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFD) to cross the international border at Wagah-Attari after authorities on the Pakistani side refused to entertain visas of over 100 nationals.

The activists, who were on their way to Bangalore to attend a PIPFD convention, will now try to make their way to India through alternative means, Mr. I. A. Rehman, a functionary, told this correspondent from Lahore today.

``Both Governments should have allowed us to cross the land border on foot. This is a sign of their petty-mindedness,'' a visibly upset Mr. Rehman maintained.

``The heavens did not fall when we crossed the international border en route to Calcutta in 1996 and when our Indian colleagues went to Peshawar in 1998,'' he stated.

`Talks offer no sign of weakness'

UNI reports:

The Foreign Secretary, Mr. Inamul Haq, has said Pakistan would wait for a positive response from India for resumption of dialogue.

In an interview to the Jang here, Mr. Haq said Pakistan's offer of talks should not be considered a sign of weakness. New Delhi's refusal to resume the talks exposed that ``India did not want to resolve the outstanding issues.''

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