Concessions made to India: MMA

Published January 10, 2004

ISLAMABAD Jan 9: AMuttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) leader on Friday expressed apprehensions that President Gen Pervez Musharraf had given several concessions to India even before the start of formal talks between the two countries.

Briefing newsmen, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal's Senator Prof Khurshid Ahmed said the alliance had reservations about the manner in which the government was giving concessions to India on the economic front without first resolving political issues.

Accepting the Indian demand that Pakistan would not allow its soil to be used for what India calls terrorism and signing the additional protocol to combat terrorism by the Saarc summit without determining the definition of terrorism was not in favour of national interest, he said.

Prof Khurshid, who is deputy chief of Jamaat-i-Islami, welcomed the meetings between Pakistani and Indian leaders but said the first condition for success of any dialogue was change in the attitude of India which, he said, was not visible.

He said everyone in Pakistan and India wished success of bilateral talks but added that no solution to the Kashmir issue or friendship with India was not possible without involvement of Kashmiri people in the process.

Disclosing that he had held a brief chat with Mr Vajpayee during a gathering, Prof Khurshid said he emphasized on the occasion that people would welcome friendship between India and Pakistan but strictly on the basis of justice.

He said Mr Vajpayee had replied that "when there is intention of friendship then a way will be found". The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal leader called for homework before going into talks India and asked the government to take the nation and parliament into confidence on the issue.