International
Pak. media praises Musharraf handshake
By B. Muralidhar Reddy
ISLAMABAD, JAN. 6. Pakistani media was all praise today over the manner in which the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, ``stole'' the show at the SAARC summit in Kathmandu by extending his hand of friendship to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee.
The dailies not only splashed the news in bold headlines but also followed it up with comments accusing Mr. Vajpayee of not rising to the occasion. Headlines like ``Vajpayee disappoints as Musharraf excels,'' ``politics of handshake, handicap of bellicosity,'' and ``gesture signifies Pak. desire for peace'' dominated the write-ups on the ``dramatic'' handshake.
The English daily, News, said Gen. Musharraf had done another Agra by offering Mr. Vajpayee a hand of friendship, while breaking the latter's pledge of not embracing the ``untouchable'' by shaking his unwilling hand.
``The extraordinary gesture was so disarming that even a most seasoned Vajpayee couldn't keep his cool and looked small by accepting the handshake in a rude and acrimonious manner, given the restrains of his politics of bellicosity that even prohibited a relaxed body language and civilized conduct.''
Another report in the same daily said Mr. Vajpayee was a great disappointment to all those who were anxiously waiting for the summit to produce some hints and gestures for averting another war between India and Pakistan. ``As millions must have witnessed on their television sets, Gen. Musharraf went an extra mile for getting such an assuaging message from his Indian counterpart.''
In its main report on the event, the Dawn said ``in a command performance laced with humility, eloquence, fair play and firm resolve to seek peace with dignity, President Musharraf on Saturday forced Mr. Vajpayee to rise and shake hands with him, a move many believe could help deter the two countries from their untenable logic of war.''
The Nation, in its editorial, under ``Another opportunity lost'' regretted that while many countries were trying to end the stand-off between India and Pakistan, Mr. Vajpayee had spurned the latest friendly gesture by Gen. Musharraf. ``This is another proof of India's obduracy which is fast pushing South Asia to the brink of war. Ignoring numerous rebuffs to Pakistan's offers for dialogue to resolve outstanding issues, Gen. Musharraf declared in his address at the SAARC that he was extending a hand of genuine friendship to Mr. Vajpayee,'' it said.
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