New Delhi, November 12
In a typical one-step forward, two-step backward pattern of Indo-Pak relations, the visiting Pakistani Information Minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, today made hawkish statements against India and the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, making the establishment here livid.

Mr Ahmed wound up his official visit here this evening with a press conference where he virtually asked India to forget about the list of 20 wanted criminals, threatened that if India were to continue to harp on the list Pakistan would be compelled to release the FIR in the 1949 Karachi conspiracy case, and bluntly accused the Government of India of “never agreeing to anything sensible”.

On the question of the list, on which Pakistan has not taken any action since India handed it over to Islamabad about two years ago, Mr Ahmed said: “Stop talking about the list... We can also release the FIR in the Karachi case which contains names of some of your second and third rung of leaders.” He did not stop here only and when asked if he was referring to Mr Advani, the Pakistani minister remarked: “Akalmand ko ishara kafi hai (a wise man only needs a hint).”

The Government of India was livid with the Pakistani guest’s comments which it found “provocative”. A source in the government, who is directly associated with India’s Pakistan policy said this evening that the Pakistani minister’s comments were aimed at avoiding taking action on the list of 20 which contained names of hardcore terrorists involved in March 12, 1993, Mumbai blasts, IC 814 hijacking and who were also involved in terrorist cases in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

“To compare it with historical fictional issues is clearly just a ploy to avoid action,” the source said about Mr Ahmed’s remark.

Mr Ahmed singled out Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee for lavish praise and said the Indo-Pak disputes could be sorted out only during the tenure of Mr Vajpayee whom he described as “a man of vision”. He went to the extent of saying that Mr Vajpayee was the only Indian leader who could take bold steps and “beyond him there is nothing, only darkness.”

Diplomatic observers here said that it was a tactical ploy of Pakistan to praise Mr Vajpayee and denigrate Mr Advani in an attempt to divide the Indian establishment.

Mr Ahmed said the Pakistani leadership was ready to talk to India “but aggressive statements by Indian leaders from time to time force us also to counter them.”

The Pakistani minister went to the extent of suggesting to India “all financial support” to renovate Muslim shrines at Nizamuddin (New Delhi) and Ajmer Sharif. “Whatever money is required, the government of Pakistan will give for this purpose,” Mr Ahmed proudly announced.

Sources in the Government of India said there was “no question” of India accepting such a wild proposal. “That way we can renovate hundreds of Pakistani shrines at our cost,” a senior official said with a jeer.

An important highlight of Mr Ahmed’s press conference was that he dragged the Kashmir issue on his own. However, on a question about the plight of the people in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and the fact that PoK leader Amanullah Khan was put behind the bars each time he demanded elections, Mr Ahmed simply said: “You are talking of olden times.”

He sought to put India on the mat when he said he wondered how terrorists could cross into India from the Pakistani side when India had posted “some 800,000 to 900,000 soldiers” on the border with Israeli radars on the LoC.

Mr Ahmed charged the security forces with committing “massive atrocities” on the people of Jammu and Kashmir and said: “Give the people of Jammu and Kashmir their right to vote.”

On the confusion created by his statement yesterday that Mr Vajpayee and General Musharraf would meet on the margins of the SAARC Summit in January in Islamabad, he clarified that what he had meant was that there was likelihood of such a meeting taking place.

“No government should shut the doors on talks. We must always remain engaged,” said Mr Ahmed who is here for the SAARC Information Ministers’ Conference.