Musharraf has no plans to visit India

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, JAN. 13. After maintaining an enigmatic silence for two days, the Pakistan Government has said that the military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, has no plans to travel to New Delhi since no formal invitation has been extended by the Indian Government.

The decision to neither contradict nor confirm the news report in a newspaper that Gen. Musharraf is soon to travel to New Delhi on an invitation from the Indian Government has given room to speculations that the impression suited the military establishment.

It was only after the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, told correspondents in Bali on Friday that the Pakistan Foreign Secretary, Mr. Inamul Haq, chose to clarify the matter and that too in response to a query from a journalist.

``How can the Chief Executive agree to travel to New Delhi for talks without an invitation from the other side,'' was his reply in response to a question on the speculative report carried by the newspaper.

At the same time, Mr. Haq reminded that Gen. Musharraf was on record having offered several times to hold talks with India any time, any where and at any level.

He said that there has been no positive response from New Delhi to the desire of Islamabad to resume talks.

Hizb flays Gen.'s remarks

In another development, the Hizb-ul Mujahideen chief, Syed Salahuddin, took exception to the reported remarks of the Indian Army chief, Gen. S. Padmanabhan, that the militants in Kashmir were tired of fighting and maintained that the ground situation in Kashmir belied the claim.

In a statement, Syed Salahuddin said the remarks made by the Indian Army chief were a ``vain attempt to boost the sagging morale of his physically and mentally exhausted troops.

``The morale of the Mujahideen is high. India can test their passion for martyrdom. God willing they will lead the ongoing struggle to its logical end'', the statement said.

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