Agra summit fails

President Musharraf gets warm welcome in New Delhi
July 14: President Gen Pervez Musharraf arrives in New Delhi by a chartered PIA Boeing 737-700 plane. He was received at the Palam airport among others by the minister of state for railways, Digvijay Singh .Gen Musharraf waved and greeted mediamen before the presidential motorcade comprising over 40 limousines, proceeded to Rashtrapati Bhawan, where he was accorded a ceremonial welcome. As President Musharraf alighted from the presidential limousine accompanied by Begum Sehba Musharraf, he was received by President K.R. Narayanan and First Lady Usha Narayanana. He was then greeted by Prime Minister Vajpayee. The Pakistan President was escorted to the saluting dais by the chief of protocol, Manvir Singh, as the national anthems of the two countries were played by the military band. He then inspected the inter-services Guard of Honour. It is believed that the last time a Pakistan leader was given a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhawan was in 1953 to the then prime minister, Mohammad Ali Bogra.

Text of president's statement
Upon arrival, President Musharraf issued the following statement:
“On my arrival in India at the kind invitation of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, I would like to extend warm greetings to the government and people of India on my personal behalf and on behalf of the people of Pakistan. I have come with an open mind and look forward to my discussions with Indian leaders on establishing peaceful, tension-free and co-operative relations between our two countries. For the sake of economic prosperity and peaceful co-existence, Pakistan and India need to maintain dialogue to resolve disputes and to explore opportunities for improving bilateral relations. I am glad this dialogue has now been resumed.

’For more than half a century, the Kashmir dispute has cast a shadow on relations between Pakistan and India. In my talks with the Indian leaders, I will be looking forward to a meaningful, frank and substantial discussion urging them to join hands with us in resolving this dispute in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people. This will facilitate resolution of other issues and lead to a full normalisation of relations.

’I am hopeful that my talks with Prime Minister Vajpayee will pave the way for better relations between Pakistan and India."

President Musharraf, accompanied by wife Sehba, led a 19-member delegation that includes Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar, Foreign Secretary Inamul Haq, Kashmir Affairs Director Mohammad Sadiq and ISPR chief Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi.

India blocks TV coverage of Musharraf's welcome
July 14: India banned live television coverage of the official welcome given to President Pervez Musharraf because of sensitivities in broadcasting pictures of an Indian military chief saluting the visiting general, Indian press reported. In the past, ceremonial welcomes in the forecourt of the presidential palace in New Delhi have been broadcast live on television, including those accorded to the then US president, Bill Clinton and Russian President Vladimir Putin during their official visits last year.India's air force chief Anil Yashwant Tipnis represented the three wings of the military at this morning's ceremony, when Musharraf inspected a tri-service guard of honour. "The (Indian) government appears to have decided that the sight of an Indian chief (of staff) saluting the Pakistani military ruler is not for public consumption," the Hindustan Times newspaper said. "Only the official broadcasting agency Doordarshan has been allowed to film the reception, including the tri-services guard of honour." The newspaper said Doordarshan would release an edited version shortly after the event.

Narayanan, Musharraf promise better relations
July 14: The President of Pakistan Gen Pervez Musharraf and his Indian counterpart KR Narayanan set the tone for the two-day Agra summit starting by recalling the wishes of their respective founding fathers who had wanted the two countries to live in peace and harmony.

The two leaders were speaking at the banquet hosted by the India president for his Pakistani counterpart. President Musharraf rounded off his response to president Narayanan's warm sentiments which he had expressed in his welcome speech by quoting from Quaid-I-Azam's August 7, 1947 speech in which the father of the Pakistani nation had said: "The past must be buried and let us start afresh as two independent sovereign states of Hindustan and Pakistan. I wish Hindustan prosperity and peace."

Pervez Musharraf urged upon India to join him "in this noble endeavor, let us begin this effort now, let us today embark upon this challenging and rewarding task, let us join hands in building a better future for our succeeding generations."

President Narayanan, earlier in his speech had quoted from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's book "The Discovery of India" (1945-46) in which he had said: "It is obvious that whatever be the future of India, even if there is regular partition, the different parts of India, will have to co-operate with each other, in a hundred different ways."

President Pervez Musharraf said that he believed in Quid-I-Azam's vision of good relations between Pakistan and India. "I believe also that this vision is not beyond our grasp and I have come to India because I would like to do everything possible to realize the dream of the Quaid-I-Azam."

He said he had come to India with the purpose of bridging "the gulf that divides us" My presence in your great country brings to an end a hiatus of more than two years, which I believe, has not served the broader interests of either side and as neighboring countries we need to bridge the gulf that divides us. I come to India with this purpose".

Referring to the Kashmir issue, the Pakistani president said that Jammu and Kashmir dispute continued to block progress towards normalization of relations between the two countries and "I believe that there can be no military solution of this dispute, we must be bold enough to face this issue squarely and resolve it once and for all."

"This, indeed, will open a new chapter of fruitful relations between our two countries and also put an end to the sufferings of the people of Kashmir," he added.

President Narayanan in his speech referred to another remark from Pandit Nehru, which he had made after partition in which the first prime minister of India had said that it was to India's advantage that Pakistan should be a secure and prosperous state with which "we can develop close and friendly relations."

And he recalled that Quaid-i-Azam reciprocated these sentiments when he said: "Now that the division of India has been brought about by a solemn agreement between the two dominions, we should bury the past, and resolve that, despite all that has happened, we shall remain friends. There are many things which we need from each other as neighbors, morally, materially and politically, and thereby raise the prestige and status of both dominions."

Musharraf meets APHC leaders, pledges support
July 14: President Gen Pervez Musharraf promised Pakistan's continued moral and political support to Kashmiri freedom fighters during a 25-minute closed-door meeting with Hurriyet leaders in New Delhi. "The general sahib has promised to continue moral and political support to the Kashmiris until the resolution of the Kashmir dispute," All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Abdul Gani Bhat said later. The meeting was held on the sidelines of a tea party hosted for President Musharraf by Pakistan High Commissioner Ashraf Jehangir Qazi. Another APHC leader, Ali Shah Geelani, said: "We had very useful discussion. We are happy he accepted our request and listened to us very carefully." "It is good that Pakistan wants the same solution of Kashmir which we want," he said and added that Gen Musharraf was "on the right track and we hope and pray for the success of talks."

Neharwali Haveli welcomes Musharraf
July 14: President Pervez Musharraf, setting foot in India for the first time since his family migrated to what is now Pakistan in 1946, made a nostalgic visit to his childhood home. Taking time off from his official appointments on the first-day of his three-day visit to India, Gen Musharraf toured the old Neharwali Haveli in a now dilapidated area of Old Delhi. The present occupants of the Haveli, comprising eight families, gave the former resident a welcome. He got an emotional welcome from one of his old servants, Anaro Kashmiro, now in her eighties. She hugged President Musharraf, who she last saw when he was just four years old. Gen Musharraf gave Kashmiro an expensive cloth to stitch into a shalwar kameez. He also slipped her 200 dollars in an envelope. Kashmiro showed the envelope and its contents to several people afterwards.

Sonia Gandhi meets Musharraf
July 14: Congress President Sonia Gandhi met Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and urged that there should be "flexibility and open mind" on both sides. Musharraf also said that rigidity on either side would not help in improving India-Pakistan relations, adding that he looked forward to resumption of a constructive dialogue between India and Pakistan, and urging that both sides must take into account each other's compulsions.
The Congress chief in her 25-minute "very cordial" meeting told the visiting dignitary that Simla Accord and Lahore Declaration should be the basis of the bilateral dialogue, said Anand Sharma, the party spokesman.

Advani suggests extradition treaty
July 14: Home Minister L K Advani is understood to have suggested to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf signing of an extradition treaty besides asserting that peace should not be held hostage to resolution of any single issue, regardless of its importance for either side. Advani, during his 25-minute meeting with Musharraf, also raised the issue of cross-border terrorism saying innocent people should not be made victims of terrorism simply because of differences between Islamabad and New Delhi. The suggestion for an extradition treaty came up in the context of activities of criminals involved in kidnapping, murders and extortions who slipped into each other's countries taking advantage of the strained bilateral relations.

Advani is understood to have said that if India can have such a treaty with Turkey, Germany and several other nations which were not being used as safe havens by criminals, in the case of Pakistan it was a reality and therefore signing of an extradition treaty was imperative. In this context, Advani pointed out that underworld don Dawood Ibrahim was currently in Pakistan, which was denied by Musharraf.

Gen Musharraf described the reference to Dawood as "small tactics", but Advani said while tactics and strategies were the forte of Generals, Musharraf should work out a strategy with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Sunday to establish permanent peace in South Asia. The sources said the talks were marked by extreme cordiality with both sides respecting each other's sensitivities.

Musharraf-Vajpai talks begin: Differences force third round
July 15: President Musharraf arrives in Agra and had two rounds of talks with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. They decided to hold a third round of one-on-one meeting tomorrow to sort out the differences which have arisen over the text of the joint declaration with India showing reluctance to recognize the centrality of the Kashmir issue and the mention of the aspirations of Kashmiris. Sources close to the two sides let it be known that things were not going as smoothly as it had appeared in the morning and said this was why the two leaders had met for a second round of one-on-one meeting in the evening. The two sides exchanged their respective drafts of the joint declaration after the first round which, as was expected, were too divergent, and required the intervention of the prime minister of India and the president of Pakistan to smooth out the wrinkles.

Indian Information Minister Sushma Swaraj is said to have been given a slap on her wrist for speaking out of turn after the first round of talks in which she was quoted to have said that all issues like terrorism and trade etc., had been discussed but refused to confirm or deny if Kashmir was included in the discussion. This is said to have led the Pakistani delegation to record their "strong protest" which reportedly caused the Indian prime minister to intervene and get the two sides to take a second look at their respective drafts of the joint declaration. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the government of Pakistan reiterated that Kashmir had been the focus of discussion in the 90-minute one-on-one meeting held between the president and the prime minister. He was asked to comment on the media talk of the Indian information minister earlier in the day in which she had claimed that India had discussed four subjects in the talks. However, in her statement to the media, she had omitted to mention the extensive discussions held between the two leaders on Kashmir. Elaborating, the Pakistan government spokesman said that President Musharraf had made it plain to his host that no progress could be made towards normalization of relations between the two countries unless the issue of Kashmir was resolved in accordance with the wishes of the people of Kashmir.

Indian External Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Nirupama Rao announced that President Musharraf had invited his host to visit Pakistan and that Vajpayee had accepted. President Musharraf also found time to visit Agra's most famous landmark, the Taj Mahal, and later attended a dinner hosted by the governor of Uttar Pradesh. But again, the talks were marred by violence in the Kashmir region. At least 18 people were reportedly killed in heavy fighting between Indian soldiers and militants.

Summit breaks down: No declaration issued
July 16: The two-day Agra summit between President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister AB Vajpayee collapsed over the Kashmir issue, despite five long and arduous one-to-one rounds between the two leaders and hours of discussions between the two delegations. A 80-minute last minute late-night round between the two leaders failed to break the deadlock, created basically by the obduracy and refusal of the Indians to be reasonable and accept even a diluted mention of Kashmir in the proposed joint Agra Declaration. According to the Indians, however, the summit was doomed after President Musharraf's frank and candid press talk to Indian editors dubbed by their media as "Musharraf's breakfast bellicosity."

An Indian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Nirupama Rao, in a one line announcement immediately after Musharraf had left the Jaypee Palace Hotel in Agra said: "I am disappointed to inform you that although the commencement of a process and the beginning of a journey has taken place, the destination of an agreed joint statement has not been reached." The spokeswoman did not take any questions when a Pakistani journalist asked why had the Indians stopped President Musharraf to address a news conference at the conference hall.

President Musharraf and Vajpayee held several one-on-one meetings today and the foreign ministers and foreign secretaries of the two countries held two more sessions, but official spokesmen had started speaking of "difficulties" in drafting the "agreement" much earlier. The Indians wanted the cross border terrorism issue mentioned clearly in the joint declaration and Pakistan wanted a definite mention of Kashmir as the main issue and some mention of including the Kashmiris in the process at any later stage.

President Musharraf had earlier in the day stated very clearly before the Indian editors that the Kashmiris would have to be made a party and this had to be mentioned in any declaration as "declarations are for ever and not valid for one day or a week or a year."

Musharraf cancels visit to Ajmer
July 16: President Pervez Musharraf cancelled his visit to the shrine of a Sufi saint in Ajmer as the delegations from the two countries went into extended discussions in Agra, struggling to finalize a joint declaration.

Kashmir central to amity with India: President: Breakfast meeting with Indian editors
July 16: President Pervez Musharraf said that the Kashmir dispute remained central to ending years of enmity with India. "Let us not remain under any illusion that the main issue confronting us is Kashmir," he told Indian newspaper editors and TV anchor persons over breakfast in Agra. "That is the reality on the ground, whether we like it or not," he said. "If India expects that I should ignore Kashmir, I better buy back the Neharwali Haveli and stay there," he told the editors bluntly.Describing himself as a realist, Musharraf said that India and Pakistan must confront the realities and not brush them under the carpet. "I have never said that I refuse to talk of other issues. But please understand that Kashmir is the main issue. I will carry on saying it," Musharraf said.
Clearly unimpressed by the confidence-building measures announced by India, the General said: "What confidence building measures? The biggest confidence building measure is Kashmir."

42 killed in held Kashmir violence
July 16: An upsurge in bloodshed struck Indian-ruled Kashmir as the fate of the Himalayan territory took centre stage at peace talks between India and Pakistan. Forty-two people were reported killed, pushing the toll to 220 in the run-up to the summit since July 4. Indian authorities said they had foiled a major attack Mujahideen had planned for today to undermine the India-Pakistan summit on its final day.

Valuable progress made at Agra, President optimistic: Sattar
July 17:: Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar told a press conference in Islamabad that President General Pervez Musharraf came back to Pakistan with optimism and that both leaders had shared a common vision of peace and prosperity for India and Pakistan. He said, valuable progress was made at Agra. "Agra talks didn’t fail.”
"It is unfortunate that the conclusion of the exercise was aborted," Sattar said. He said Musharraf had returned with a sense of optimism for the future in bilateral relations. "The reason for the president's optimism is ... that both sides are keen to use the progress that has been made for further discussions, hopefully leading to full agreement," the foreign minister said.

After the Agra Summit
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali

“Accept that Kashmir is a dispute;

Agra pact to come into effect only after progress on Kashmir;

What’s going on in Kashmir is a freedom movement. Cross-border terrorism is irrelevant. “

This is the firm stance taken by President Pervez Musharraf at the Agra summit. India tried to match Pakistan's commitment to the Kashmir dispute with an equally vocal and high profile repetition of cross-border terrorism.

Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, giving an account of the Agra summit, told the leaders of the National Democratic Alliance, his coalition partners, that President Musharraf’s insistence on a specific clause in the Agra pact that it would take effect only after India and Pakistan made progress on Kashmir was the primary reason for India to call off signing of any statement.

However, despite the obvious failure, both the sides have purposefully refrained from describing the summit as a failure. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Abdus Sattar termed it as "inconclusive" and his Indian counterpart Jaswant Singh described it "another step in our march towards peace."

One positive result of the summit is that high level dialogue will continue between the two countries. Pakistan is extending an official invitation to Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee who may visit Pakistan probably in November. President Musharraf is expected to have a meeting with the Prime Minister Vajpayee during the UN General Assembly session in September this year in New York. The two leaders can have separate meetings during the SAARC summit, which may now resume meeting by the end of this year or early next year. Indian Foreign and Defense Minister has accepted an invitation to visit Islamabad. Although the course of future relations between Pakistan and India remains unpredictable but the continued high-level contact bodes a good omen.

The Agra summit failed to make history as was claimed by President Musharraf in his pre-summit statements. But he returns from Agra with an elevated image among the vocal religious parties who were predicting a sell-out of Kashmir. There is, also, little advantage that the opposition was able to gain anything out of the Agra debacle. The stance of President Musharraf is seen by political parties in line with national aspirations.

It will now be argued by his supporters that he has come back unscathed, and even with an enhanced moral standing because he refused to compromise, preferring instead to come back home empty-handed. Kashmiri mujahideen groups and religious parties have welcomed the outcome of the Agra talks, and praised the courage and strength of General Musharraf with which he presented the cause of Pakistan and Kashmir. The leaders of Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) have also expressed satisfaction over the performance of President Musharraf in Agra Summit. He acted upon the agenda evolved during his pre-visit consultations with the politicians, the GDA leaders said.

If history has any instructions, our rulers have often used external issues to divert public attention from the domestic issues. General Ziaul Haq benefited tremendously from the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. Similarly, General Musharraf ‘s posturing on Kashmir at Agra provides him ample opportunity to outwit a disunited opposition and tighten grip over power following his elevation to the presidency just weeks before the summit.

In the final analysis, the Agra summit had raised expectations. The failure of the summit was a disappointment for people both in Pakistan and India, who were glued to television coverage of the summit in the hope of a major breakthrough. However, the holding of the Pakistan-India summit itself is a significant positive development in view of deep rooted distrust and continued tension between the two nuclear neighbors.

[Published by Pakistan Link – Los Angeles – July 27, 2001]