Musharraf to respond 'shortly'

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, MAY 25. The military ruler and Chief Executive of Pakistan, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, would respond ``shortly'' to the invitation extended by the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, to visit New Delhi for peace talks.

The Pakistan Foreign Ministry today announced that the invitation delivered by the acting Indian High Commissioner, Mr. Sudhir Vyas, has been received. Mr. Vyas met the Pakistan Foreign Secretary, Mr. Inamul Haq, this morning and handed over the letter from Mr. Vajpayee.

Given the formulation of Mr. Vajpayee's letter, observers do not foresee any hitch from the Pakistani side. Indications are the military Government is pleased with the wording of the letter.

Overlooks Lahore reference

In normal circumstances, the reference in the letter to the February 1999 Lahore Declaration would not have gone down well with the military establishment. The Musharraf regime has reservations about the Lahore Declaration and is of the view that the then Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif, had rushed into signing the dotted lines of the declaration without adequate preparations on the domestic front.

The military Government seems prepared to overlook the ``generous'' references to the Lahore Declaration for more than one reason. To begin with, the Musharraf Government is mightily pleased with the latest Indian initiatives and considers it a diplomatic breakthrough.

The invitation for a composite dialogue on all issues of concern to both the countries, including the question of Jammu and Kashmir, gives the military Government some elbow room on the domestic front - vis-a-vis militant and religious outfits. The reiteration of his statement at Lahore by Mr. Vajpayee - that India is committed to a stable, secure and prosperous Pakistan - in the letter can help Islamabad address concerns raised by various quarters within the country on the latest initiative.

Hizb, Lashkar unrelenting

However, the Government has every reason to be concerned with the reaction of militant outfits based in Pakistan and this was evident from the manner in which the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen today claimed responsibility for the attack on CRPF personnel in Jammu.

``Our fighters carried out the attack in Jammu on Friday killing five policemen. It is our response to the end of the so-called unilateral ceasefire by the Indian Government,'' the Hizb spokesman, Mr. Salim Hashmi, said.

The Lashkar-e-Taiba chief, Mr. Hafiz Sayeed, addressed a news conference in Islamabad denouncing New Delhi's invitation as yet another farce. He also threatened to intensify attacks on Indian forces and installations.

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