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Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi
Political parties on Tuesday reacted cautiously to General Pervez Musharraf's refusal to ask terrorists in Kashmir to shun violence in the run-up to his summit meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, scheduled tentatively for next month.
"Basically, both India and Pakistan have reiterated their stated positions on Kashmir. Since both countries have expressed their own point of view, it remains to be seen how things shape up. From our side, we are still studying the situation and will give our formal reaction on Wednesday," Congress spokesman Anand Sharma said.
Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Narendra Modi said his first impression is that the general does not want to offend the terrorist groups in Kashmir. "That is why he won't appeal to them to stop their diabolical activities even as he praises Prime Minister Vajpayee for inviting him for talks," he said.
Modi, however, said this was his personal opinion and that the BJP would react to General Musharraf's statement in due course.
Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Biplab Dasgupta repeated his party's charge that the government has not shared the intricacies of its Kashmir strategy with the Opposition.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Acharya Giriraj Kishore, who has all along opposed any dialogue with Pakistan, said General Musharraf has shown his true colours by expressing reluctance to rein in the terrorists.
"This government must forcefully tell Pakistan that since Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, it will not accept any unreasonable demands," he said.
He said Vajpayee must adopt a firm stand and disabuse the Pakistani leadership of the "fanciful notion that India would give away J&K under pressure from terrorists."
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