M A I N   N E W S

Pervez savours Cuban cigar
Was it tension of talks or . . .

Agra, July 16
Was it tension that forced Pakistan President to smoke a Cuban cigar today?

Following a morning of hard negotiations with the Indian side, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had a Cuban cigar after an Indian lunch in his luxurious $ 1500 Kohinoor suite at the Amar Vilas hotel.

The General, not a regular smoker, had asked his aide for a cigar when the PIA aircraft carrying him from Colombo was refused permission to land in Karachi on October 12, 1999, a sure sign that he was under tension, his wife Sehba had said later.

The same night, General Musharraf deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and went on to become the Chief Executive of Pakistan.

Hotel sources said today that Gen Musharraf and Begum Sehba savoured mulligatawny soup, nalli gosht and murg ke parchey. The first lady is also taking recipes of these dishes back home.

While nalli gosht and murg ke parchey are traditional Lucknavi dishes of lamb and chicken, mulligatawny soup is a curried lentil soup. The other dishes served for lunch were an assortment of wheat breads, bhindi do piazza, home style aloo gobhi, aloo ki tikki, paneer tikka and shammi kabaab.

The President has reportedly been extremely nice to the hotel staff. “He posed for pictures with all the 150 staff members,” said one.

In his signed comments, General Musharraf said: “Our stay was most comfortable. We will never forget the magnificent view of the Taj Mahal. I appreciate the warmth, hospitality and efficiency of the entire hotel staff.”

He added that the Oberoi resort was “beautiful, magnificent and had been a witness to the unfolding of historic events.” UNI