Advani blames Gen for Agra summit failure

With his speech on Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Pakistan at the back of his mind, BJP chief L.K. Advani played it safe today on his first public a...

With his speech on Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Pakistan at the back of his mind, BJP chief L.K. Advani played it safe today on his first public address on his return. He blamed Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf for the failure of the Agra summit in 2001, saying he had refused to acknowledge terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

‘‘Musharraf was not ready to accept the fact that there was problem of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. He, instead, said it was freedom struggle in which innocent people get killed. Then, the government of India said there can be no agreement,’’ the former deputy PM said at the martyrdom day of Jan Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, who was arrested from Lakhanpur in 1953 for entering J-K without permit.

Advani said the BJP’s policy on Jammu and Kashmir had been clear — ‘‘it wanted peace, but not by sacrificing national interest’’. Advani added that though President Musharraf had made a commendable statement that Pakistan’s territory should not be used for propagating terrorism, training camps of militant outfits were still operating there. ‘‘Reports from both national and international agencies have said that Pakistani terrorist camps are still operational,’’ he said.

Tracing the historical background of the issue, Advani criticised the ‘‘Nehru sarkar’’ for historical blunders over Kashmir and the ‘‘angrez sarkar’’ for dividing the country on the basis of community. The BJP chief blamed Nehru for the imposition of Article 370 for J-K and withdrawing troops that had been advancing towards Pakistan in 1947.

Advani then turned to praising then Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel, saying it was his efforts that prevented further ‘‘disintegration of the country’’.