India against holding ties hostage to Kashmir question

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI, JULY 18. There was ``near agreement on confidence- building measures related to the nuclear issue'' but even that could not be agreed upon between India and Pakistan at the Agra summit because of several factors that derailed the process, highly-placed Government sources indicated today.

The three points that came in the way of signing a joint declaration were Pakistan's insistence on describing the Kashmir issue as a ``dispute'' although India had at one point agreed to make it the ``first point'' in the eight-points to be included in the declaration that was being drafted on the second day of the summit talks on July 16. That flexibility shown by India came to nought, for Pakistan in the end insisted on adding a clause to say if that the entire declaration would be ``subject to'' and ``dependent on'' movement on the Jammu and Kashmir issue (on the ground in terms of finding a solution). ``India was not going to accept that,'' it was said, for India was against holding the entire bilateral relationship hostage to the Kashmir question.

The second issue on which no headway could be made was that of cross-border terrorism. ``Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, did not want anything at all on this issue, he insisted it was a freedom struggle in Kashmir, and this was not acceptable to us.''

Breakfast meeting

Finally, it was candidly admitted that the live telecast of Gen. Musharraf's breakfast meeting with 35 editors on July 16 morning after the talks were under way and even as the delicate and complex negotiations had started, was completely unacceptable. As already stated by the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, it was to have been an off-the-record exchange of views which the Government had felicitated. The controversy involving the Hurriyat leaders earlier was bad, but the telecast of the breakfast meeting is what finally vitiated the atmosphere completely. Although those words were not used, it was clear that the Government saw it as his attempt to use the media to pressure the Government.

But it seems that by late evening of July 16 when it became clear that no declaration was possible, Gen. Musharraf was keen on ``any kind of joint statement.'' But by then, it seems that the Government had made up its mind that it would be nothing at all.

It seems during the 90-minute ``courtesy call'' made by Gen. Musharraf to bid farewell to his hosts, the Prime Minister mentioned Kargil and told him frankly that he had given him the invitation in spite of it for the sake of establishing peace between the two countries. As for his comparing Kargil to the 1971 war which ended with the creation of Bangladesh, and what was happening in Kashmir to the struggle of the people of Palestine, the Indian view that emerged at the summit was that it was not possible to have an agreement, or a joint statement with him in these circumstances.

He confirmed what Mr. Jaswant Singh himself stated earlier. That Pakistan stalled and prevented any preparation for the summit although India had opened all channels of communication after sending the invitation to Gen. Musharraf, offering to send official delegations to discuss specific points or receiving delegations here. Pakistan's negative response resulted in the absence of any agenda when the summit talks began. (The opening statement by the Prime Minister on July 15 was thus an effort to place an agenda before the two leaders.)

It was conceded that the Government also failed to understand that for the Musharraf Government was not a continuous process. For him the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration were associated with his political rivals and he wanted to have nothing to do with them. In the Indian democratic system, Governments accept responsibility for agreements signed by previous regimes, even if under different political dispensations. ``Gen. Musharraf wanted to begin afresh with Agra.''

It is also learnt that when the General came to make the courtesy call, he was kept waiting for nearly 30 minutes before Mr. Vajpayee met him. The message was clear. The ``cordiality'' that marked the interactions of the previous two days had evaporated into thin air, the honoured guest had outstayed the welcome.

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