Author: PTI
Publication: Times of India
Date: June 17, 2001
India on Saturday made it clear
that Jammu and Kashmir was its integral part, a day after Pakistani military
ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf sought to downplay the recent remarks of external
affairs minister Jaswant Singh on the issue.
"The external affairs minister was
not giving his personal views or simply making a statement. He was reiterating
the provisions of the Constitution of India," a spokesperson of the external
affairs ministry said in response to questions on Musharaff's statement
on Pakistan radio and television on Friday night.
On Singh's assertion that J&K
belongs to India, Musharraf had regretted the remarks of the external affairs
minister and hoped that he had not meant it.
"I think we cannot go ahead like
this, I hope this was restricted to a statement only and he (Singh) did
not mean that when we enter into a dialogue," Musharraf had said.
At his press conference on May 28,
Singh had said, "the whole of J&K is an integral component of India
and that stand remains unaltered. The question of referendum does not simply
arise."
The external affairs minister had
also referred to a 1994 resolution of Parliament declaring that J&K
is a part of India.
On Musharraf's statement that he
would be going with an "open mind" to India for the summit with Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the spokesperson said, "how can we gauge how open
a mind is until it is opened".
Asked about the possible dates for
the summit, which highly placed sources had indicated earlier this week
that it could be held sometime in mid-July, the spokesperson said that
the issue "is under very active consideration".
Official sources maintained that
the dates would be possibily announced after vajpayee's return to Delhi
next week from Mumbai, where he is recuperating in Breach Candy hospital
after his right knee replacement surgery.
Singh, who is scheduled to begin
an eight-day tour of Australia and New Zealand from June 19, met Vajpayee
at the hospital on Friday. Reports here said that the proposed summit was
also discussed.
The spokesperson said that no decision
had yet been taken on the venue of the summit.
She referred to Singh's comments
on May 28 that these talks were being approached by India with "a sense
of realism" and that "it is a long road to walk together".
Singh had said Vajpayee's invitation
to Musharraf had been "explicit" and spoken about picking up threads from
the 1999 Lahore Declaration as also the 1972 Shimla agreement. (PTI)
