No problem about DGMO visit: Musharraf

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, JULY 9. The Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, has reacted positively to India's decision of sending its Director-General of Military Operations, Lt. Gen. G. S. Sihota, to Islamabad to begin talks on nuclear and security issues. Speaking to a group of journalists at his official residence in Rawalpindi on Sunday, the General said ``we have not been told officially (of the visit) at all. If the Indian DGMO wants to come, I do not see any problem in his coming here,'' he said.

Though India said today that its decision to send Lt. Gen. Sihota had officially been conveyed to Pakistan, Islamabad maintained that it had not received any proposal from India about the visit.

Interestingly, a senior diplomat said ``we doubt if the DGMO would be here before the summit. If the reports in a section of the press are to be believed, he intends to visit Islamabad to discuss a whole range of issues related to reduction of tension on the border, infiltration and cross-border terrorism. These are the substantive issues that are likely to figure at the summit. What would be left for Gen. Musharraf and Mr. Vajpayee to talk if the DGMO comes here to talk about these subjects before the summit?''

Gen. Musharraf was optimistic on Sunday about the summit talks as it was first time in recent history that a Pakistani Head of State had been invited to India for talks. ``I am optimistic because nobody in the past has been invited to India to discuss the Kashmir issue.''

It would be a breakthrough if structured talks began as a result of the Agra summit. Declining to disclose his proposals to resolve the Kashmir problem, the General said a settlement of the Kashmir dispute was possible through a consensus among India, Pakistan and the Kashmiris. ``Otherwise it will never be resolved.'' Expressing determination to keep his meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, focussed on finding a solution to ``the core issue of Kashmir,'' he said, ``you can't put the cart before the horse.'' The long-standing conflict over Kashmir had to be settled before commercial, trade and cultural links were established between the two nations. ``You must resolve the Kashmir dispute. When there is anger, you are fighting each other, what kind of trade, what kind of commercial relations, what kind of cultural relations (can you have)?''

On his proposal for a no-war pact, Gen. Musharraf said if New Delhi signed the pact with Islamabad, he was willing to reduce the expenditure on defence and devote the money to social and economic development. ``The no-war pact is aimed at reducing arms race. If New Delhi enters this pact with Islamabad, then certainly I would like to reduce our defence expenditure for economic and social development.''

Would he own responsibility if the summit failed to make a headway? ``If there is a failure because of the intransigence from the other side, why would I be held responsible? Why should my credibility be undermined? Fifty per cent is my part for making the summit a success but I am not responsible for the other fifty per cent,'' the General said.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Front Page
Previous : No sign of Pak. granting MFN status
Next     : Small delegation coming with Musharraf