The Hindu : Pak. to announce new date for SAARC summit

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 23, 2002

International

International

Pak. to announce new date for SAARC summit

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD Dec. 22 . The Pakistan Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, has said that Pakistan would announce a new date for the proposed South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation meet here, after `assessing' the recent Indian statement about its willingness to participate in it. He was replying to a specific question about the summit at his maiden news conference in Lahore on Saturday.

Mr. Jamali's statement came two days after Pakistan accused India of indulging in `deceitful sophistry' on the postponement of the summit, proposed here in the second week of January.

Responding to a statement made by the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, in Parliament holding Pakistan responsible for the postponement of the 12th summit, the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman had described Mr. Sinha's remarks as `deceitful sophistry'.

The spokesman said that even now, while expressing India's willingness to participate in the summit, Mr. Sinha had made it contingent upon progress on the "substantive issues of SAARC''.

The spokesman alleged that having caused the postponement, the Indian Government wanted to clean up its sullied image.

``Obviously, they know of no better ways than to engage in double-speak''. The spokesman said that if India was willing to attend the summit it should say so clearly `without raising any caveats'. He recalled that to date India had caused the postponement of four SAARC summits.

Mr. Jamali made use of the opportunity to declare that the policy pursued by the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, on Kashmir was clear and his Government would continue it. The Prime Minister told journalists that his regime would follow all the defence and foreign policies of Gen. Musharraf.

In response to a question about the continuation of the Musharraf Government's policies, he said those that suit Pakistan would continue. Mr. Jamali told journalists that despite having different policies and party affiliations, all politicians must work for the welfare of the country.

International politics, he further said, required facilitation of others. "America attacked Afghanistan only after consulting its allies. When they can facilitate each other, why can't we do so.''

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Pak. to announce new date for SAARC summit