India denies Pak. media reports

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, MAY 3. India has denied reports in a section of the Pakistani press that the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad, Mr. Vijay K. Nambiar, was ``summoned'' on Wednesday by the Pakistan Foreign Office to seek clarifications on the military exercises proposed by India.

A senior diplomat in the Indian High Commission described the reports as ``baseless'' and expressed surprise over the source of such reports. ``There is absolutely no truth in the reports. Obviously some one in the military government has given a wrong impression''.

However, the diplomat did concede that there was a query from the Pakistan Foreign Office on Wednesday morning inquiring about the nature of the proposed military exercises by India. A senior official in the Pakistan Foreign Office made the call to the Indian High Commissioner.

It was explained to the official concerned that the size of the planned military exercises by India did not warrant any advance notification as envisaged in the 1992 bilateral agreement between the two countries. And yet India informed Pakistan on April 17 about the exercises as part of the confidence building measures (CBMs).

The Indian Government presumed that the story would end there. But the Indian High Commission officials were surprised to see in the evening a statement from the Pakistan Foreign Office questioning the nature of the exercises.

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Section  : International
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