October 22, 2002	Tuesday	Sha’aban 15,1423

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NEW DELHI, Oct 21: India appeared to be undecided and possibly vague on Monday about the likely attendance of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at the Saarc summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad in January, with senior officials adding more ifs and buts to the already existing flux in the matter.

Diplomats said two possible factors could be fuelling the latest uncertainty, including news from Pakistan that the new prime minister there would probably head the Saarc talks. The other possible cause for confusion, rooted in concern for Vajpayee’s health, was shot down by a spokesman for the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“At the end of the Kathmandu summit, it had been announced by the government that the prime minister will participate in the next summit in Islamabad. I think that commitment so far holds,” Defence Minister George Fernandes was quoted as saying in Bangalore on Sunday. However, by Monday afternoon, a foreign ministry spokesperson was giving a whole new spin to the issue, saying that a decision on Vajpayee’s visit would be taken after the final dates for the summit were fixed.

The Saarc summits have been postponed earlier and at least on one such occasion due to the expressed inability of the Bhutanese king to attend. At that time the postponement was thought to suit India although it was not clear if New Delhi had actually influenced the decision with its close ally.

There are similar concerns now being expressed with regard to the situation in Nepal where the county’s elected government has been dismissed by the king who is running an interim administration with the help of a handpicked team. Moreover, even though the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal vice president Qazi Hussain Ahmad has reportedly welcomed the upcoming visit of Vajpayee, it was getting increasingly clear that a hardline fundamentalist would be frowned upon as an interlocutor with the Indian prime minister.

“As I understand it the (summit) dates are still to be finalised. Once that is done we can decide on the possibility of a visit,” said Indian spokesman Navtej Sarna.

Apparently responding to remarks by Pakistan Information Minister Nisar Memon that the next step for the to countries was to start talks, Sarna said: “As far as the information minister’s statements are concerned, it is for Pakistan to put an end to its consistent support and sponsorship for cross-border terrorism before we can have an atmosphere which is conducive to dialogue.”

Fernandes said the deployment along the border with Pakistan had conveyed the right message to the world about India’s determination to combat terrorism and assured the armed forces that the government would meet all their urgent requirements.

The air force personnel must be complimented for their professionalism and dedication during the deployment along the border and the LoC Fernandes said, inaugurating the week-long air force bi-annual Commanders Conference in Bangalore.

Vajpayee is expected to address the Combined Commanders Conference on Wednesday.

Vajpayee cancelled his press conference in Lucknow on Sunday reportedly because of a sore throat.