NEW DELHI, April 22: Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s weekend call for talks with Pakistan was a serious one and dialogue could begin as early as June, a minister said on Tuesday.
“We are ready the minute Pakistan indicates that it is willing to usher in a new era of peace,” Junior Foreign Minister Digvijay Singh told The Asian Age newspaper.
Mr Vajpayee offered to hold talks with Pakistan, but only if it ended what India describes as support of guerillas in the held state.
Mr Singh said the offer was not “flippant” and New Delhi was also willing to send an official to Islamabad to work out the agenda of the talks.
“This time there will be a firm agenda decided upon by both sides before any of the leaders meet,” the minister said.
He added that the talks could begin as early as in June provided Pakistan responds to India’s concerns. He said “even one line” statement shunning violence would be helpful.
ADVANI: Indian Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani said in a statement in parliament on Tuesday that “guerillas from Pakistan” could use the turbulence in Iraq as a smokescreen to infiltrate held Kashmir.
“The possibility cannot be ruled out that terrorists and their Pakistani mentors may increase infiltration and terrorist activities taking advantage of the international security scenario consequent to the Iraq war,” Mr Advani said in a written statement to the Lok Sabha.—AFP
