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Bitterness creeps ahead of summit

Sudden bitterness crept into the preparations for the Indo-Pak summit with an inexplicable outburst by Pakistan and its insistence on a meeting between President General Pervez Musharraf and Hurriyat leaders during his visit, which India formally opposed on Friday.

India's 'strong opposition' to any meeting between Hurriyat leadership and Musharraf was conveyed to Pakistan at the highest level late Friday night.

In a surprise development, Pakistan Foreign Office also issued a statement injecting a sour note charging New Delhi with 'repression' and 'violation of international humanitarian law in Kashmir.'

Alleging increase in incidents of rape and molestation of women by security forces, the statement said, 'the Government of Pakistan calls upon the Government of India to end its repression and fully respect the norms of international humanitarian law' in Jammu and Kashmir.

India also hit back and said, 'violence continues to be fomented in Jammu and Kashmir beyond our borders. This must cease.' The sudden Pakistani outburst comes hours after Islamabad said that Hurriyat leaders would be invited to the High Tea to be hosted by its High Commissioner.

The controversy over Hurriyat intensified with India telling Pakistan not to focus on 'extraneous issues' and Islamabad justifying the move.

Significantly, Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani made a veiled reference to the issue emphasising the need for a foreign dignitary to respect the sentiments of the host country.

PTI

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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