The Hindu : We will respond in `a few days': Jamali

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 28, 2003

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We will respond in `a few days': Jamali

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD APRIL 27. Pakistan's Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, today raised hopes of forward movement on the Srinagar `peace initiative' of the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, by welcoming it.

In an informal chat with correspondents in Lahore, Mr. Jamali said Pakistan would respond to the Indian offer in a `few days' but did not elaborate. Islamabad had always favoured resolution of differences through talks and it would continue to do so, he maintained.

Though it is nine days since Mr. Vajpayee extended the hand of friendship, the Musharraf-Jamali Government has been relatively cautious in its reaction.

There are a number of reasons for the `wait and watch' approach.

There is little doubt that the peace offer took Islamabad by surprise. Coming against the backdrop of harsh statements by the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, and Defence Minister, George Fernandes, Pakistan is still in the process of absorbing the message and meaning behind the offer.

Second the `conditionalities' attached by Mr. Vajpayee for resumption of dialogue contributed to the suspicion that it could be `old wine in new bottle'.

Islamabad sees the stipulations — end to cross-border infiltration and dismantling of terrorism infrastructure — as conditions arguing that there was no state-sponsored cross-border infiltration.

This was evident once again today in the response of the Foreign Office spokesman, Aziz Ahmed Khan, to the reported comments attributed to the U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, on cross-border infiltration. Mr. Khan termed the charges `baseless'.

Pakistan is repeating its old formulation on infiltration. It is impossible to seal the porous border and some `freelance jehadis' could as well be going across to Kashmir.

But it was neither encouraging nor turning a blind eye to infiltration.

If India did not subscribe to view, it should agree to either strengthening the mission of the United Nations Military Observers or consider a mechanism of neutral observers from six or seven countries to monitor the border.

The latest suggestion has come from the Pakistan Foreign Minister, Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri.

Two days ago, the President, Pervez Musharraf, had described Mr. Vajpayee's peace initiative as a "good offer".

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