The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Friday, January 12, 2001,
Chandigarh, India

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No move to invite Musharraf: PMO
From T.R. Ramachandran
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Jan 11 — Reports in a section of the Press in Pakistan that its Chief Executive, Gen Pervez Musharraf is being extended an invitation shortly to visit India for talks with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has amazed the South Block housing the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of External Affairs.

Authoritative sources discounted any such move at this juncture as Islamabad had nothing on the ground to provide the faintest indication that it was making efforts to stop cross-border terrorism. This was a pre-requisite for restarting the stalled composite dialogue between the two countries.

The report in the Pakistan Observer is seen here as yet another gambit of the powerful military establishment in Islamabad to gain international sympathy that India is spurning its overtures to return to the negotiating table.

Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, who is away on a week-long official tour to Vietnam and Indonesia, has reaffirmed in his musings penned during his year-end vacation in Kerala that India is willing to hold discussions with Pakistan at the highest level provided Islamabad puts an end to cross-border terrorism.

“In such a scenario, it will be naive on anybody’s part to expect a summit between Mr Vajpayee and General Musharraf especially when Pakistan is continuing to aid and abet terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir,” sources observed. “Such unsubstantiated and baseless reports that India’s High Commissioner to Pakistan Vijay Nambiar is expected to hand over an invitation to General Musharraf, to visit India for talks should be summarily dismissed.”

Even as New Delhi is against providing legitimacy to Musharraf’s regime in Islamabad, a fundamentalist outfit — Tanzim-ul-Ikhwan — is threatening to raise the banner of revolt against Pakistan’s Chief Executive demanding Islamisation of that country.

This organisation has set up a training camp near Islamabad for 5000 militants with the object of encircling the seat of power in Islamabad and compelling the military leadership to reinforce Islamisation witnessed during the reign of the late Zia-ul-Haq.

The training lasting from 21 to 90 days began during Ramzan, which is providing enough food for thought for the military regime. Tanzim-ul-Ikhwan hopes to rope in an estimated 100,000 jehadis in getting General Musharraf’s military establishment to do its bidding.

Pakistan experts believe that General Musharraf is in for a period of turbulence with resentment against his stewardship growing. The unrestrained fundamentalists and terrorists whose number has been growing in Pakistan might be General Musharraf’s undoing. It remains to be seen how he tackles this monster fuelled and fanned by Pakistan.

Simultaneously, the heat is being turned on him by the Jammat-e-Islami (JEI) chief Kazi Hossain Ahmed, who described the Pakistan’s Chief Executive as a security risk and demanded his immediate replacement. It is generally felt that the JEI cannot be acting in a vacuum especially as General Musharraf is a Mohajir compared to the powerful Punjabi elite in the neighbouring country.

Wahid backs India on Kashmir

JAKARTA, Jan 11 (PTI) — Indonesia, the largest Muslim nation in the world, today backed India’s stand on Kashmir and terrorism and favoured resolution of the issue through a dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad within the framework of the existing agreements.

“We are tied to the treaties” between India and Pakistan, Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid said addressing a joint press conference with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee after the two sides signed five bilateral agreements, including the one on defence cooperation and other on setting up a joint commission.

“Personally, of course, I support Mr Vajpayee’s position on this,” Mr Wahid said when asked about Indonesia’s stand on Kashmir.

Indonesia had always voiced strong reservation over Pakistan-backed resolution on Kashmir at the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC).

Indonesian Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab said Jakarta wanted a peaceful solution to the Kashmir issue through an Indo-Pak dialogue.

Rejecting all forms of terrorism, he said Jakarta was supportive of the way India was tackling the global menace. “I support Mr Vajpayee’s stand. I reject terrorism everywhere”.

Mr Vajpayee said both countries, which were multi-ethnic and multi-religious with diverse societies, supported each other’s unity and territorial integrity.

India’s firm support to the unity and territorial integrity of Indonesia had come at a time when the south east Asian nation was facing separatist problems in two of its provinces following the devolopments in East Timor.

Asked about Indonesia’s position on a permanent seat for India in an expanded UN Security Council, Mr Wahid said he personally favoured New Delhi’s candidature but there had been no discussion in the government on the issue.

On Indonesian Defence Minister Mohammad Mahfud’s suggestion for a defence pact between India, Indonesia, China and Russia, Mr Wahid said the issue did not come up during discussions with Mr Vajpayee.

According to a UNI report, India today signed five agreements with Indonesia for setting up a joint business council and extending naval assistance, including speed boats to prevent piracy and narcotics and the much-needed spares for their ships.

The defence cooperation agreement was signed by Minister of State for External Affairs Ajit Panja and Indonesian Defence Minister.