See if I have horns, BJP chief tells Islamabad audience

The message sent was that peace initiatives sprang from a broad base in India, and that he carries a strong commitment to efforts towards peace.

Placing particular emphasis on his meeting with General Musharraf at Army House in Rawalpindi cantonment, he later told reporters that both felt ‘‘that this peace process should be made irreversible.’’

In this regard, he termed the January 2004 joint statement issued by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Musharraf a ‘‘breakthrough’’.

‘‘What you said in respect of terrorism,’’ he told Musharraf, ‘‘needed a lot of courage and guts. That provided a breakthrough.’’

In a meeting described as very cordial, Advani and Musharraf took stock of various initiatives: the Hurriyat’s forthcoming visit, the Munabao-Khokrapar rail link, the release of fishermen’s boats by Pakistan.

Musharraf, Advani said, felt that the process has, in a way, been taken up by the people and is not confined to governments. Musharraf, in turn, said the meeting confirmed his belief the last two years had created a climate in which peace is ‘‘do-able.’’

Earlier, at the Prime Minister’s residence, he said his visit was also aimed at emphasizing ‘‘the desire that there be peace and normalcy in India-Pakistan relations. It cuts across party lines.’’

In Pakistan, the BJP is seen to be a critical participant in the peace process — whether in government or out of it.

Advani’s repeated affirmations of his party’s support were aimed at amplifying the consensus in India. Advani, however, distanced himself from the word ‘‘milestone’’ issued in his Press statement on his appointment with Musharraf.

That is too big a word, he differed, while expressing satisfaction that his three meetings ‘‘would reinforce the peace process that was initiated by Vajpayee and is being continued by Manmohan Singh.’’

Twice in the day, he fielded questions from reporters. Both times he was asked how this visit leveled with previous statements on Pakistan.

At one point, he laughingly recalled that when the BJP parliamentarians returning from Pakistan reported to him that there was immense excitement and eagerness over his proposed visit, he had replied, ‘‘The excitement and eagerness may be to see whether I have horns.’’

Another time he said: ‘‘Every person in public life has an image. I am one of those whose image and real persona are not identical.’’ In reply to questions on the demolition of Babri Masjid, he said in an article a week or two after the event, he had described it ‘‘as the saddest day of my life.’’

It was, in fact, a measure of how far India and Pakistan have travelled that both Advani and Musharraf could place their talks on Kashmir in their respective domestic environments.

Musharraf said the Kashmir ‘‘dispute’’ had to be solved with sincerity, flexibility and courage. Advani reacted to the forthcoming Hurriyat visit by saying, ‘‘all those who are seeking to sort out the Jammu and Kashmir issue must naturally think of solutions acceptable to the people of J&K.’’

But, he added that it must be recognized that there are diverse communities in that state and their views and opinions are also diverse. ‘‘A solution has to be acceptable and reconcilable to all those diverse sections and views,’’ he said.

It is also discernible that the emphasis was on people-to-people contact. Musharraf, his press statement noted that the people in the Northern Areas were demanding the opening of a bus route to Kargil. Advani, in turn, said as a former resident of Karachi, he would like to see the steamer service to Mumbai.

This is Advani’s first visit to Islamabad. His last visit to this country in 1978, as Information and Broadcasting Minister to secure for Doordarshan telecast rights for the India-Pakistan cricket series, took him to Karachi.