The Hindu : Pak. Govt. functionaries cold-shoulder Indian Parliamentary team

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 24, 2003

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International - India & World

Pak. Govt. functionaries cold-shoulder Indian Parliamentary team

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD June 23. Members of a visiting Indian Parliamentarians' delegation are intrigued by the decision of the Pakistani establishment not to establish any contact with them throughout their week-long stay here.

The leader of the delegation, Kuldip Nayar, told Indian correspondents at the end of their second leg of the tour here that ``we are unable to fathom whether it is a tit-for-tat response or a conscious policy decision. Either way, we wonder what message the military establishment wanted to convey''.

The acting President of Pakistan and chairman of the Senate, Mohammad Mian Soomro, did host a dinner in honour of the delegation but there was no formal or informal interaction with the Government functionaries at any level. Of course, the delegation had the benefit of interactive sessions with a broad spectrum of political opinion, including the ruling combine.

Last month, when a similar delegation from Pakistan visited India, the Indian Government and the BJP consciously kept away from it. Mr. Nayar, however, had an explanation — that the Pakistani parliamentary delegation was in India just days after the Vajpayee peace initiative and the ground was not ready for any interaction.

However, now it is over two months and a week since the renewal of the peace initiative and the same benefit of doubt could not be extended to Islamabad. At the same time, the Rajya Sabha MP and veteran journalist conceded that the response the delegation got from political parties, civil society and the people of Pakistan was overwhelming.

``There is no doubt the response is overwhelming. We have been treated with utmost respect, love and affection. People went out of the way to extend the hand of friendship''.

Besides Mr. Nayar, who is an independent member from the Rajya Sabha, the delegation included Shahid Siddiqui, Samajwadi Party, Lakshman Seth, CPI (M), Ramdas Athwale, RPI, K.M. Khan and Pawan Bansal, Congress(I), Abdul Rasheed Shaeen, National Congress and Kartar Singh Duggal, Akali Dal. The MPs said two BJP Parliamentarians were to join the team but dropped out at the last minute.

Mr. Nayar said the visit was a great success for the campaign to promote people-to-people contacts. However, they were surprised by the steady silence from the Pakistan Government over their visit, he said. ``We received excellent response from the public. But there is no direct or indirect message from the Government of Pakistan.''

The ``official silence'' was more conspicuous as the Pakistan Foreign Minister, Khurshid Muhmood Kasuri, whom Mr. Nayar personally knew for so long had not even called over the phone to say hello. ``Mr. Kasuri treated me so well when I was here a few months ago. This time he did not even call me, why, I cannot understand,'' he said.

The Indian delegation had no interaction with the officials here. ``As a result, we do not know what the Army has in mind. Let us face it. Whatever agreement India has to make with Pakistan, it has to be with Gen. Musharraf,'' he said.

This is important as any future agreement between India and Pakistan would depend on how far the Army was willing to ``retreat' from the positions held by it at present.

Despite this, Mr. Nayar said the delegation was so convinced by the genuine warmth and love of the people of Pakistan that they felt India should not be deterred by the Pakistan Government's response. India should make efforts to reach to the people of Pakistan by taking various unilateral confidence-building measures.

``For our part, we have to build a people-to-people movement to go over the heads of the Governments in Pakistan and India. Whatever the impediments, at least there should be people-to-people contacts,'' he said and called for liberalisation of the visa regime to enable more Pakistanis to visit India.

``This is why our first priority is to relax the visa regime. If they cannot abolish it, there should be a visa issuing-point at the Wagha border,'' he said and wanted that the point-to-point or city-to-city visas should be abolished and people should be allowed to visit all over India and Pakistan.

He said the two countries should also improve transport links.

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