Talks not under pressure: BJP chief

By Our Staff Reporter

SHIMLA, JULY 8. The Agra summit is not being organised under any outside pressure, but it is due to the vision of peace and good neighbourliness of the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, that we are holding talks with Pakistan, said Mr. Jana Krishnamurthi, BJP national president, at a press conference here today.

Mr. Krishnamurthi, who was here to attend a two-day State executive meeting of the party, said Mr. Vajpayee did not succumb to pressure even during the Pokhran tests which resulted in economic sanctions against the country. So, there is no question of the Prime Minister coming under any external or internal pressure now.

Mr. Vajpayee, who enjoys a high reputation in Pakistan, has always taken peace initiatives. Both the leaders of India and Pakistan are now anxious to build good relations with each other.

However, Mr. Krishnamurthi criticised Gen. Musharraf for showing some considerations towards the Hurriyat and said India did not accept the Hurriyat as the real representative of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The talks could be termed as successful if the summit paved the way for some future talks and enabled the two leaders to understand the problems within the countries.

Earlier, the BJP president had a talk with the Pakistan Ambassador, on Gen. Musharraf's visit.

The BJP president said India had announced many confidence- building measures with Pakistan and hoped that they would be reciprocated. It would be a great goodwill gesture on the part of Pakistan, if it released all the Indian prisoners languishing in its jails. This would go a long way in convincing the people of India that Pakistan genuinely desired friendship and peace.

Pakistan had realised that with the BJP Government at the Centre and Mr. Vajpayee as the Prime Minister there were better opportunities for improving bilateral relationship.

The BJP president said that after the initiation of talks there was considerable improvement along the Line of Control (LoC) and Kashmir was not the only issue now, as the summit could pave the way for continuation of talks on all other issues. On divergent views expressed by the NDA allies such as the National Conference, Mr. Krishnamoorthi said they were free to air their views.

On the coming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP president said his party had launched a mass contact programme and his party workers were meeting villagers in all 50,000 panchayats of Uttar Pradesh. .

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