The BJP promptly described the meeting between Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad today as a ‘‘positive step’’ in the right direction. Party chief Venkaiah Naidu said: ‘‘It is a positive step in the right direction and we hope something concrete would emerge from it.’’He said the party would give a response once the details of the talks are known.The Congress termed the meeting as ‘‘an encouraging development’’. Party spokesman Anand Sharma said: ‘‘We have always supported a dialogue between India and Pakistan for a resolution of bilateral issues.’’‘‘We are not aware of what transpired between the two but we do hope that the PM would share the Government’s viewpoint and assessment of the situation with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sonia Gandhi,’’ he said.Whole-heartedly supporting Prime Minister Vajpayee’s move and achievements in the SAARC summit, CPI-M general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet said: ‘‘Though it went along expected lines, it is a progress. It is good that they (Pakistan) have realised and agreed that two contentious issues — terrorism on our side and Kashmir on their side — cannot be debated in international/regional fora.’’ CPI’s A.B. Bardhan said: ‘‘This is normal diplomatic behaviour. Much more needs to be done for the furtherance of Indo-Pak relations.’’
