Date:20/04/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/04/20/stories/2003042002500900.htm

National

Gujral hails PM's offer to Pak.

Jalandhar April 19. The former Prime Minister, I.K. Gujral, today welcomed the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's offer of a `hand of friendship' to Pakistan and dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir to settle ``internal and external issues''.

``I must compliment the Prime Minister for going to Kashmir, addressing a rally and offering peace talks with Pakistan and the people of Jammu and Kashmir,'' Mr. Gujral told reporters here.

``The peaceful Assembly election in the State...the Prime Minister's visit to Jammu and Kashmir and addressing a rally there... these are signs which show that the situation in the State is changing fast towards peace,'' he said, congratulating the people of Kashmir for attending the rally in large numbers, despite the Hurriyat Conference's boycott call.

Asked whether the Centre had taken a U-turn on its stand on the talks with Pakistan since it had said earlier that no talks could be held with the neighbouring country till it stopped abetting cross-border terrorism, Mr. Gujral said, ``although it is a deviation from the earlier statement by the Prime Minister, I still welcome it.''

Justifying India's stand on the U.S. war on Iraq, he said though the Centre never opposed the U.S., it had always opposed the attack. ``We did not want war. But we were of the opinion that if Iraq was having weapons of mass destruction, it should be destroyed.' Mr. Gujral replied in the negative when asked whether he would contest from Jalandhar in the next parliamentary election. — PTI