Party 038; Govt on same Pak page

Will clarify Indo-Pak issue in Parliament. I am confident we have all the relevant answers....

Calling the reports about differences between his government and the Congress party over the Indo-Pak Joint Statement nothing more than a media creation, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here today that he would clarify all questions during the debate on this issue in Parliament on July 29.

I have made a statement in Parliament and Parliament is again going to discuss the issue. I will clarify. Pending a debate in Parliament,it is inappropriate to answer any specific questions on the issue. I am confident we have all the relevant answers, Singh said on the sidelines of a function in Rashtrapati Bhawan today.

His remarks came a day after the PM briefed the Congress Core Group meeting at his residence including party president Sonia Gandhi on the statement and explained how and why it was in Indias national interest to have more flexibility in the diplomatic engagement with Pakistan.

The Opposition parties have launched a concerted attack against the PM for what they call de-bracketing terrorism from Indo-Pak composite dialogue and the reference to Balochistan in the statement.

The PMs clear denial of any differences between the government and the party comes after the party spokespersons ambivalence on the issue,their refrain being: there is nothing to add to what the statement says.

On July 17,Singh had said in Parliament that there was no dilution in the governments stance and a meaningful process of engagement could not move forward unless and until Pakistan took effective measures to control terrorism.

Whether,when and in what form we broaden the dialogue with Pakistan will depend on future developments, he had said. As I have said before in this House,India seeks cooperative relations with Pakistan and engagement is the only way forward to realize the vision of a stable and prosperous South Asia living in peace and amity. We are willing to go more than half way provided Pakistan creates the conditions for a meaningful dialogue. I hope that

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there is forward movement in the coming months, the PM had said.

After Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other top leaders of the party backed the joint statement at yesterdays meeting,there was a chorus in the party that there was never any question of not backing the PM.

Said a senior leader: We never said we opposed the joint statement. We said the PMs statements on this issue did not require our endorsement. Whats wrong with that?