The Hindu : Jamali calls all-party meet to discuss Vajpayee's offer

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 05, 2003

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Jamali calls all-party meet to discuss Vajpayee's offer

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD May 4. The Pakistan Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, has convened an all-party meeting here tomorrow evening to discuss his counterpart, Atal Behari Vajpayee's peace initiative and Islamabad's response.

Mr. Jamali's invite to representatives of all parties is akin to a similar exercise by the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, on the eve of the July 2001 Agra Summit. However, Gen. Musharraf went to Agra with a totally free hand, as there was no pre-fixed agenda for the talks.

The situation this time is different. India is sticking to the two main pre-conditions — end to cross border infiltration and dismantling of terrorist infrastructure — for any contact at the highest level.

Mr. Jamali decided to convene the meeting after the Jamaat-e-Islami chief, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, demanded a special Parliament session to discuss the situation. Mr. Jamali obviously would like to listen to representatives of all parties before making public Pakistan's response.

On Saturday, Gen. Musharraf had told a group of intellectuals that Mr. Jamali would announce some `India-centric concessions' as a sequel to India's desire to re-establish full diplomatic relations. The same day, during a telephone conversation with the U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, Mr. Jamali said he would unveil measures for `peace and security' in the region.

Mr. Jamali's choice of words has given room for interpretation that Pakistan could be considering some steps to meet India's two chief concerns. Of course, Pakistan has all along denied any infiltration across the Line of Control and denied Indian charges that it pursued `jehad' (holy war) as an instrument of foreign policy.

It is against this backdrop that the all-party meeting convened by the Jamali Government assumes significance.

The sensitivities of India-Pakistan relations was evident today when the Foreign Office deemed it necessary to clarify a recent statement made by the Foreign Minister, Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri, and carried by a section of the press that Islamabad was ready for trade with India even without progress on the Kashmir issue. A spokesman `clarified' that Mr. Kasuri, while talking to a Hindi Service correspondent of a broadcast channel, "has been misquoted and reported out of context." He added, "Pakistan's policy is quite clear and unambiguous in this regard. It has been reiterated repeatedly that Pakistan desires a meaningful and resulted oriented composite dialogue on all issues, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir. There has been no change in this policy."

`When is your boss coming?'

The Acting Indian High Commissioner, T.C.A. Raghavan, today had a `chance encounter' with the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, at a posh restaurant here.

As he walked in, Gen. Musharraf, in his inimitable style, went around greeting guests in the restaurant. When Mr. Raghavan introduced himself, Gen. Musharraf exchanged pleasantries with him and asked: "When is your boss coming?'' obviously referring to the announcement made by the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, about India's desire to appoint a High Commissioner in the Islamabad mission. The Indian envoy told him that "it would be soon" and added that he would convey the message to New Delhi.

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