The more real truth is that Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has asked his External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh to visit Pakistan at a reasonable time.
Foreign Office spokesman Riaz Muhammad Khan told journalists on Tuesday that the Indian Foreign Minister will arrive in Pakistan very soon to hold talks on various topics.
He said that during a conversation with President General Pervez Musharraf the Indian PM said that India was ready for broad-based talks on all issues.
The spokesman said that President Musharraf had also invited Vajpayee to Islamabad but he showed unavailability due to his ‘engagements’.
The officials of both the countries will contact each other to schedule the proposed visit, the spokesman said.
India ready to strengthen trust in Pakistan
Our Delhi Correspondent adds: India Tuesday said it was prepared to make new initiatives to strengthen confidence and trust with Pakistan provided Islamabad carries out ‘adequate’ and ‘satisfactory’ responses and ‘moves away from its unifocal approach of talking on Kashmir only.’ Indian External and Defence Minister Jaswant Singh here also for the first time Tuesday admitted providing assistance to Afghan opposition Northern Alliance.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee Tuesday morning briefed the union cabinet about various aspects of the US-led air strikes against Taliban. It was the first full cabinet meeting since the US started its air campaign on Afghanistan.
Among other things, Vajpayee briefed his cabinet about his recent meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and his phone conversations with the Russian President and Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf.
The meeting also discussed in detail the nature of support that India could provide to the US-led coalition. Jaswant Singh gave a detailed presentation on US attacks, developments in Afghanistan and its impact on India.
Meanwhile, India here for the first time admitted providing logistical support to Afghan opposition Northern Alliance holding almost 10 per cent of the total area of Afghanistan. Defence and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh here said that India was extending help to Northern Alliance, as it recognises the Alliance as “true” and “legitimate” government of Afghanistan.
He said that India has built a hospital near Parakhor town on the Tajkistan-Afghan border for the benefit of “true” and ‘legitimate’ government of Afghanistan. Saying it was part of Indian humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people, Singh said the hospital had already started functioning, catering to both inpatients as well as outpatients.
The Defence Minister’s statement comes amid reports that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has cleared a proposal to send humanitarian assistance to Kabul. However, Singh declined to elaborate on when and how the assistance would be routed.
In the meantime, official spokesperson of External Affairs Ministry here said that India was ready to open new chapter of relation of confidence and trust with Pakistan, provided the rulers in Islamabad reciprocate India’s gestures and leave behind “unifocal approach on Kashmir only.”
“We are prepared to make initiatives to further strengthen confidence and trust between the two countries. It takes two to tango,” said Mrs. Nirupama Rao, spokesperson of India’s External Affairs Ministry.
She was asked about government’s reading of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s telephonic call to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee advocating resumption of Pak-Indo dialogue.
India, she said, had taken the Lahore and Agra initiatives. ‘We have approached the question of normalisation of relations with Pakistan in a very comprehensive, rounded manner.’ she said, “it is very necessary for Pakistan to make adequate and satisfactory responses to meet the gestures we have made.”
“The way forward in the future is for that kind of response which confirms that Pakistan fully reciprocates India’s desire for peace and dialogue and confidence-building that will help open new vistas for peace and cooperation between the two countries,” she said.
Earlier, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Monday night spoke to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee over telephone. The spokesperson said that Pakistani President was told by Prime Minister Vajpayee that “harping on Kashmir issue alone would not result in meaningful dialogue.”
In their first contact in the last two months, Musharraf suggested that the two countries should resume dialogue and should not do anything to heighten tension in the region.
During the 15-minute conversation beginning at around 9 pm, Vajpayee told Musharraf that dialogue cannot be meaningful “if Pakistan remained unifocal by talking only about the Kashmir issue,” Indian spokesperson said.
Vajpayee said ‘for meaningful progress in bilateral relations, the two countries have to work for their all-round development taking into account the totality.’
Iqbal Latif
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
