NEW DELHI, DEC 9: Government today admitted in the Rajya Sabha that editor of Business and Political Observer R K Mishra had carried a message from Indian government to Islamabad at the height of Kargil conflict.In a written reply in the Upper House, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh said it was normal for countries to have a variety of processes of communications, both official and non-official.He was replying to a question by veteran journalist Kuldip Nayyar that whether the backdoor negotiations between India and Pakistan through R K Mishra and former Pakistan foreign secretary Niaz Naik had official blessings of both the countries.Singh said from Pakistani side, Niaz Naik was sent to India, who was told categorically that Pakistan's armed intrusion and aggression in Kargil would have to be vacated. "The same message was then conveyed to the Pakistani side by Mishra, who visited Islamabad in the same month," he said. Singh added that there was no divergence in what was communicated toPakistan officially or non-officially.To another question he said Pakistan had approached India through diplomatic channels seeking compensation for the shooting down of its military combat-cum-surveillance Atlantique aircraft, which had intruded into Indian airspace.However, since the aircraft was on a hostile mission and was engaged in espionage activity, government had publicly stated that the compensation demand was untenable and absurd.Further to Pakistan petitioning in the International Court of Justice, India had submitted that it did not have jurisdiction in the case. Singh said the military coup in Pakistan had not altered Pakistan's aggressive approach, hostile policies and propaganda towards India.Pakistan has made no moves to withdraw troops from the line of control where they had converged in large numbers during the armed aggression in Kargil sector.India is committed to resolving all outstanding issues with Pakistan in accordance with the Shimla Agreement and the LahoreDeclaration. "We expect Pakistan to demonstrate its adherence to these agreements by abandoning its sponsorship of cross-border terrorism and hostile propaganda against India," he added.Detention of Hurriyat leaders extendedThe Jammu and Kashmir Government has extended the detention of 15 top Hurriyat leaders, currently lodged in Jodhpur jail, till September 2001, official sources said here today.The Hurriyat leaders, including its chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and some executive members, were detained under J and K Public Safety Act in September this year when they were campaigning for boycott of Lok Sabha elections in the Valley. Since then they are lodged in Jodhpur jail.The Government in its recent order has said that an advisory board constituted on November 17 to consider their case was of the opinion that ``there is sufficient cause'' for detention of Hurriyat leaders in pursuance of the magistrate's orders by which they were taken into custody.
