New Delhi, Apr 23: Charging that "obduracy" and lack of "vision" on the part of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf were responsible for the failure of agra summit, deputy prime minister L K Advani today said that India is willing to respond on the issue of resumption of dialogue if Islamabad abandoned cross-border terrorism and dismantled terrorist infrastructure. "Let them abandon the path of terrorism and dismantle terrorist infrastructure. I am sure not only India, government of india and people are willing to respond," Advani said winding up a discussion on the working of the home ministry in the Rajya Sabha.

Advani agreeing with the perception of a Pakistani journalist in a leading Karachi daily on the failure of Agra summit, said Musharraf's obduracy (on Kashmir) was the biggest failure. "I hope they (Pakistan) will change this attitude."

“The Pakistani President's failure of vision enabled India to beat him up with the stick of cross-border terrorism,” Advani said quoting the newspaper report.


The day before the Agra summit in 2001, Advani said that he had suggested to Musharraf in Delhi that peace should not be held hostage to resolution of any dispute including Jammu and Kashmir and that Pakistan should agree to resolve all issues through dialogue.

Advani had also suggested that there should be no war be covert, overt or proxy and two countries should agree at the summit to resolve all issues through dialogue to which Musharraf was not willing to decide.

Bureau Report