Kuldip Nayar waits for PM’s response to Musharraf’s six-month ceasefire offer

NEW DELHI, AUG 4: The possibility of a meeting between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistan Chief Executive Pervez Musharraf i...

NEW DELHI, AUG 4: The possibility of a meeting between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistan Chief Executive Pervez Musharraf in New York in September is very much there.

Given the international pressure for India and Pakistan to resume their dialogue which is necessary for a breakthrough on Kashmir, sources do not rule out a scenario in which the two leaders find themselves sitting next to each other at the millennium luncheon which will be hosted on the opening day of the United Nations General Assembly by the Secretary General. After the initial thaw, a more substantive meeting could be set up between the two leaders. Sources say moves are on in New Delhi, Washington and Islamabad to get this meeting through.

For the moment, however, the Government is non-committal. The Prime Minister parried a question on the subject today. When questioned by The Indian Express in Parliament whether he planned to meet Musharraf during his forthcoming visit to the US, he evaded it by joking: “Yeh to bahut chhota sawal pooch liya.” (“You’ve raised a very minor issue.”)

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Vajpayee has also not responded to the peace offer brought by Rajya Sabha MP Kuldip Nayar from Musharraf four weeks ago. Nor has he turned it down. Musharraf had agreed to a ceasefire on the border for six months, during which all issues could be taken up for discussion, including Kashmir, provided India did the same. Nayar conveyed the offer to the Prime Minister and Vajpayee promised to get back to him.

Last week Nayar met the Prime Minister and reiterated the offer. The Prime Minister gave him the same reply.

Alluding to it today in the Rajya Sabha, Nayar said: “Has the Prime Minister not come back to me because I am not from the BJP and my name is not R K Mishra?”

Nayar told The Indian Express, when questioned about his meeting with Musharraf: “When I was in Pakistan six weeks ago, I met General Musharraf.I told him that before India could resume a dialogue with Pakistan, it must stop cross-border terrorism. Musharraf said, Yes, I know.’ I suggested to him let there be a ceasefire or cessation of hostilities for six months. That will mean that no guns will boom on the LOC or the international border, and that Pakistan will not send any mililtants across the border, that militants in the control of Pakistan will lay down their arms and that the ISI action would be stopped. We would also do the same, I told him.

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“If you agree to this, I’ll go back and talk to my Prime Minister. He said, I agree.’ He did say that all militants were not under the control of Pakistan. I said I would also talk to the Hurriyat people. When we were parting, I asked him again, You do agree?’ He replied, I agree. I’ll await your reply.’

“On my return, I went to Srinagar with the Standing Committee on Home Affairs. There the Prime Minister had called me on the phone one night. I told him about Musharraf’s offer. He said, I’ll get back to you.’

“A few days after the Parliament session started, I met the Prime Minister. I told him, I know we are hurt because of Kargil, coming as it did after the bus diplomacy, and one feels diffident about trusting Pakistan. But let’s call their bluff. During the six months ceasefire we could talk about all the outstanding problems including Kashmir. Let’s start by creating an atmosphere of peace and talking. But he has not come back to me yet.”