Former prime minister Chandrashekhar on Sunday said that situation in the sub-continent would worsen further if the ongoing India-Pakistan summit failed to yield any concrete results. If the Agra summit is reduced just to a game of showmanship then it will only end in the same manner as the ill-fated Lahore summit, Chandrashekhar, who was in Aligarh to attend a rally of farmers, told reporters. The former premier said that while peace in the sub-continent was the need of the hour, it can only be achieved by sustained and sincere negotiation.
He said that his decision to abstain from the tea party hosted on Saturday for Gen Pervez Musharraf at the Pakistan High Commission was because he did not believe in such tea party diplomacy.
In reply to a question, he said that he saw no reason why so much importance was being given to President Musharraf's invitation to the Hurriyat leaders at the tea party. But added that it would have been better if the Pakistani leader had acknowledged the host country's sensitivity on this issue. Chandrashekhar said that there was certainly no harm if the Indian government interacts with the Hurriyat leadership on the Kashmir problem. However, it would be highly improper if Gen Musharraf assumes the role of a mediator between the Indian government and the Hurriyat leadership, he added. Bureau Report