Kalam gave no opportunity to Musharraf to raise Kashmir issue
While foreign office mandarins were a little apprehensive about the meeting between A P J Abdul Kalam and Pervez Musharraf, the scientist President turned out to be an astute diplomat giving no opportunity to the Pakistani military ruler to rake u...
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: While foreign office mandarins were a little apprehensive about the meeting between A P J Abdul Kalam and Pervez Musharraf, the scientist President turned out to be an astute diplomat giving no opportunity to the Pakistani military ruler to rake up the Kashmir issue.
Details of what transpired at the 30-minute meeting have been revealed by P M Nair, who served as Secretary to Kalam from 2002 to 2007, in his book 'The Kalam Effect: My years with the President'.
Musharraf was on a day's visit on April 17, 2005 to witness the India-Pakistan one-day cricket match. During his brief stay, one of his appointments was with Kalam.
Nair says he told the President ahead of the meeting that Musharraf will certainly raise the Kashmir issue with him and he should be prepared for the same.
"Don't worry, I shall deal with it," Kalam said reassuringly, leaving Nair wondering how he would deal with an issue which could nettle the best of diplomats, and had derailed the summit meeting at Agra.
In excerpts of the book made available to PTI, Nair says the meeting took after an eventful day in which the Pakistanis won the match. Musharraf's remark about M S Dhoni's long hair had drawn loud applause from cricket enthusiasts.
At 7.30 p.m., Musharraf arrived in a cavalcade of cars and was led to the North Drawing Room on the first floor of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Details of what transpired at the 30-minute meeting have been revealed by P M Nair, who served as Secretary to Kalam from 2002 to 2007, in his book 'The Kalam Effect: My years with the President'.
Musharraf was on a day's visit on April 17, 2005 to witness the India-Pakistan one-day cricket match. During his brief stay, one of his appointments was with Kalam.
Nair says he told the President ahead of the meeting that Musharraf will certainly raise the Kashmir issue with him and he should be prepared for the same.
"Don't worry, I shall deal with it," Kalam said reassuringly, leaving Nair wondering how he would deal with an issue which could nettle the best of diplomats, and had derailed the summit meeting at Agra.
In excerpts of the book made available to PTI, Nair says the meeting took after an eventful day in which the Pakistanis won the match. Musharraf's remark about M S Dhoni's long hair had drawn loud applause from cricket enthusiasts.
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At 7.30 p.m., Musharraf arrived in a cavalcade of cars and was led to the North Drawing Room on the first floor of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
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