The Hindu : RSS against sending team to Pak.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 26, 2003

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National

RSS against sending team to Pak.

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI JULY 25. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has received an invitation from the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) asking it to send a delegation for a seminar in Islamabad in early August, but it is not inclined to accept it.

``Yes, we do have the invitation, but the RSS itself is puzzled, as it feels it has no locus standi to send a delegation. We do not know in what capacity we have been called,'' its spokesperson, Ram Madhav, said in response to queries. The invitation had been sent to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur for a final decision, ``but you can say we will decline,'' he added.

The invitation was received yesterday and had already been discussed by senior RSS office-bearers here. It was felt that some individuals closely associated with the organisation could go ``in their private capacity'', but no RSS delegation should be sent.

Earlier this week, Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam chief, Fazlur Rehman, (who has now returned to Pakistan) visited the RSS head office at Jhandewalan here.

He had a meeting with the senior RSS leaders, H.V.Seshadiri, Madan Das Devi and Madhav.

``He told us that his India visit was a step towards creating an atmosphere for furthering peace between India and Pakistan. We told him that the RSS has always wanted peace between the two neighbours,'' Mr. Madhav, said.

But the RSS leaders also made the point that in the past, India's attempt at establishing peace in the sub-continent had been frustrated by Pakistan — the Lahore bus journey by the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, was followed by the Kargil intrusion, leading to a war and the Agra summit initiative ended in disaster.

The RSS leaders apparently let it be known to Mr. Rehman, who is Pakistan's Opposition leader, that the basic problem was lack of trust and that hurdle would be difficult to cross, unless terrorist attacks on India from across the border stopped.

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