M A I N   N E W S

Indo-Pak Foreign Secys may meet

Islamabad, July 26
Pakistan today said there was a good possibility of Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan to meet during the SAARC’s Standing Committee meeting beginning in Colombo on August 10 and if the meeting took place they could focus their discussions on how to carry the Agra peace process forward.

Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman Riaz Mohammad Khan, told reporters here that there was every likelihood of a separate meeting between the secretaries taking place on the sidelines of the committee’s meeting at Colombo. PTI

Vajpayee objects to Musharraf’s remarks
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 26
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today took exception to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s statements about a split in the Indian Government during the Agra summit and said such a propoganda could hamper the future Indo-Pak talks.

“It is being said that there are hardliners in India who did not want any agreement to be reached at the Agra summit. I want to make it clear that the entire delegation unanimously took every decision,” he said.

Addressing newsmen after participating in a function to mark the Kargil Vijay Divas here this evening. Mr Vajpayee said: “This kind of talk can create difficulties in future talks between the two countries.”

The Prime Minister was reacting to the Pakistani President’s reported remarks at a Cabinet meeting in Islamabad yesterday, in which he said that there was a split in the Indian government and put the blame on the “hardliners” for scuttling the Agra declaration.

The Prime Minister also questioned Islamabad’s claim that there were no Indian prisoners of war (PoWs) in Pakistani jails.

“We have information that there are 54 PoWs in Pakistan. We will collect the information about them and hand it over to Pakistan,” he said.