On the eve of Vajpayee-Musharraf summit, India on Saturday conveyed its strong concern to Pakistan on cross-border terrorism, asserted that larger dimension of bilateral relations should not be held hostage to a single issue and stressed on building trust and confidence. Expressing these views to visiting Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, union ministers L K Advani and Jaswant Singh, stressed that the two countries should not be prisoners of the past. Musharraf also had a brief meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee before a lunch hosted in his honour. Doing some plain speaking, both Advani and Singh spoke of New Delhi's continuing concerns on militancy and terrorism sponsored from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir and said that the two countries should not be guided by narrow approaches.
Asked about Musharraf's arrival statement urging India to join Pakistan in resolving the Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people, an external affairs ministry spokesperson said, “We are not shying away from a discussion on this issue. We can discuss it freely and frankly with Pakistan side.”
She said that the Kashmir issue figured during discussions on pending issues when Musharraf referred to it. These meetings have helped in many ways to understand each other.
In a clear reference to Musharraf's Kashmir-centric approach, Advani said that the common concerns of the two countries should not be held hostage to a single issue.
The home minister also raised the issue of extradition of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, currently in Pakistan.
Bureau Report