Is Govt talking to Pakistan for joint control of J&K, asks BJP

NEW DELHI: Intensifying its attack on the UPA government for endorsing the Havana joint-statement, the BJP on Tuesday opposed the resumption of foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan in view of the spurt in terror strikes within the country.

The implications of the joint-statement were discussed threadbare at meeting held on Monday night at former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s residence. Among those in attendance were BJP president Rajnath Singh, Leaders of the Opposition in the two Houses of Parliament, Mr L K Advani and Mr Jaswant Singh, and former Union ministers Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha.

Making it clear that it “completely disagreed” with the ruling coalition’s about-turn on the issue of the continuing menace of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and other issues such as Jammu and Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek, the BJP described the joint-statement as “an unprecedented capitulation” by India on the issue of cross-border terrorism.

“It has, in one stroke, wiped out all that had been achieved by India in its war against terror through years of hard work with the international community and, bilaterally, with Pakistan,” former external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha, who briefed newspersons about the meeting’s outcome, said here this afternoon.

The principal Opposition party, in fact, expressed deep apprehensions about the joint mechanism proposed by India, and accepted by Pakistan, to tackle the scourge of terrorism, fearing that it will eventually give way to joint control over Jammu and Kashmir.

To buttress its argument, the party cited reports emanating from Islamabad which suggest that India had, through back channels, submitted a non-paper to the Musharraf administration on the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue. “The government has not taken Parliament and the people of India into confidence on the contents of this non-paper,” charged Mr Sinha, “However, according to Pakistani sources, this contains suggestions for joint control over Jammu and Kashmir.

Is this joint mechanism suggested by India the first step towards that joint control ? Are unseen powers forcing India’s hands on the issue? Is the PM acting under pressure of the Left parties, which seem to have made common cause with these unseen powers on the issue?

Or is it petty vote-bank politics which has persuaded the PM to negate all that India, even under his own government, has said and stood for on the question of cross-border terrorism?”

The party predicted that the proposed joint mechanism was doomed to fail, and that a structure to discuss terrorism was already in place between the two countries. “The issue is not about sharing of information,” the former Union minister said