Govt clarifies Pak invitation issue

Hours after a Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman said that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has not accepted his Pakistani counterpart Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali's invitation to visit that country, the government on Tuesday night clarified that the issue figured in a 'very general way' between the two leaders and was not pursued further.

"The idea of Prime Minister Vajpayee visiting Pakistan or Prime Minister Jamali coming to India was mentioned by the latter in a very general way. The idea was not pursued further by either side during the conversation," an MEA spokesperson said adding, "Therefore, the question of rejecting the invitation does not arise."

At the daily BJP briefing earlier in the day, party spokesman V K Malhotra quoted Vajpayee as saying, "Pakistan ka nimantran sweekar nahin kiya (I was invited to visit Pakistan by the prime minister of that country but I have not accepted it)."

Malhotra said the party was of the view that there should be no talks with Pakistan unless and until that country ends crossborder terrorism.