Jaswant sceptical

By C. Raja Mohan

NEW DELHI, APRIL 3. Sounding sceptical about the prospects of a dialogue with Pakistan, the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, pointed out that the Pakistan Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdul Sattar, has not sought a formal meeting with him at a non-aligned conference next week.

The Foreign Ministers of the two countries will be present later this week at a meeting of the non-aligned foreign ministers in Colombia in Latin America.

Rejecting the talk about ``secret diplomacy'' in the context of the former Pakistani Foreign Secretary, Mr. Niaz Naik's visit to New Delhi, Mr. Singh wanted to know how India could engage Pakistan when the regime of Gen. Pervez Musharraf was pursuing a self-proclaimed ``Jihad'' against India.

In an informal chat with reporters at a reception here to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China, Mr. Singh said the Government was placing no preconditions for a dialogue with Islamabad.

He insisted that Pakistan's cessation of cross-border terrorism, respect for the Line of Control and ending hostile propaganda were the ``essential ingredients'' of a successful dialogue between the two countries.

Responding to reports from Islamabad that the Musharraf regime was ready to permit the construction of a natural gas pipeline from Iran to India via Pakistan, Mr. Singh wondered if it was just propaganda.

He said India had been interested since long in projects to promote energy security in the sub-continent, and that it was Islamabad that seemed reluctant to let natural gas from either the Persian Gulf or Central Asia flow overland towards India.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Front Page
Previous : Seven killed in police firing at Anantnag
Next     : World court to decide on jurisdiction first