Indian official scuttled Agra summit: Mush
New Delhi: Many may believe that India and Pakistan made best efforts towards peace during the regime of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but if former Pakistani President Parvez Musharraf is to be believed than the two warring neighbours have made real progress under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
In an exclusive interview to News 24 Editor-in-Chief Anurradha Prasad, Musharraf made several disclosures. From current Indo-Pak relations to failed Agra summit, from Osama Bin Laden to Benazir Bhutto and from ISI to cricket, the former President made frank confessions on various issues.
Talking about the history of Indo-Pak ties, Musharraf said, India and Pakistan made real progress under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Under Vajpayee, we were supposed to sign just a joint statement at Agra. But under Manmohan Singh, we made considerable progress on Sir Creek, Siachen and Kashmir.
We did not know whats the exact situation was. A survey was required. So we agreed for a survey on Sir Creek. We did that together. We also decided the points in Siachen from where forces were to be withdrawn as part of demilitarisation. We worked out the broad parametres for talks on Kashmir. We were in the drafting stage when talks broke, he disclosed. Musharraf was referring to the talks he had with Manmohan Singh in April 2005 which progressed well before it got stuck on the Kashmir issue.
Recalling his experience at the failed Agra summit, the former Pakistani dictator-turned politician named Vivek Katju, the then Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, who was looking after the Pakistani affairs for sabotaging the outcome. Things were progressing fine, till he intervened, he told News 24.
There was someone from the Foreign Ministry sitting there named Katju, he may still be there, he created a lot of hurdles, he said adding that both he and Vajpayee wanted the Agra summit to succeed and made efforts to work out a joint statement carrying out several amendments, but things were spoiled.
I told Vajpayee Saheb before leaving Agra, today you and I both have been humiliated because there is someone above us, sitting above us who can veto what we two decided. I even said
that may be then I should have discussed with that individual who have finally the veto power. I mean what has happened, whatever we were deciding is being rejected by somebody above us, Musharraf said without referring to the person he was talking about.
Pakistani administration had blamed halks for stalling a positive outcome at the Agra Summit where New Delhi and Islamabad had come very close to signing a historic joint declaration. Musharraf had left in a huff after talks suddenly broke off.
The Pakistani President did not stop here. He went on to disclose that actually had signed a pact with former Prime Minister and PPP President Benazir Bhutto and that she broke the pact. The pact with Benazir was that she will come after the elections. That was my part of the pact. Her part was that the cases should be finished. By coming back before the elections, she violated the pact with me.
During the interview with News 24, he dismissed charges that there were security lapses leading to Benazirs death. There was no security lapse. She gave the speech there for an hour and a half. She was safe throughout. She was then escorted to her vehicle and she safely boarded it. But thereafter, if she decides to come out of the car, how can she then be protected. There was no lapse on part of the security.
Musharraf also dislosed something that may sound a worry and warning to the world. The former President says with or without Osama, Al-Qaeda will exist. Its a wrong notion that if Laden is finished, the problem will end. Al-Qaeda is a symbol that will not be destroyed by killing Laden.
However, he expressed doubts if Osama was alive. I have my doubts about Osama Bin Laden being alive. I cant be sure. According to ISI, he was on a dialysis and its not easy for a person to get regular dialysis in the terrain where is suspected to be hiding. Cant say if he is alive. Musharraf did not comment on the region where Osama would be hiding, if he is alive.
Musharraf made it clear that he has plans to come back to Pakistan and join politics for which he has already floated a party. Also he dismissed the notion that there was any plan by the Army to capture power in Pakistan. The question is is the Army taking over? No
It is not taking over
Without making any reference to ISIs involvement in various terror acts in India, Musharraf told News 24 tat whatever Inter-Services Intelligence or the ISI was doing, was under clear guidance and orders of the Pakistani government. I am proud of the fact that there is an organisation like the ISI that has caused so much of concern to India
Whatever the ISI does is on the orders of the government. Whoever is in power, gives orders to the ISI and it takes action accordingly. ISI has been blamed by India for training LeT terrorists and orchestrating 26/11.
The former Pakistani President, who is living in exile, has been touring various countries. He had also expressed his desire to visit India for about ten days but it was recently turned down by the MEA citing reservations from the Home Ministry.
Musharraf in the last part of the nearly one-hour long interview also talks about the condition the Pakistani Cricket Team is in currently. He says, The Pakistani team is down with those unfortunate scandals. It is bad.
However, he had a special word for Sachin Tendulkar and M S Dhoni. Musharraf has been a fan of Dhoni and especially commented on his hair style when Dhoni first met the Pakistani President. Yours is a good team. I must say and the plaers are very good. Tendulkar, of course is a world class player. Your captain Dhoni is good and entertaining player.
Indian official scuttled Agra summit: Mush
