Indian Opp seeks president’s intervention on joint statement

By Iftikhar Gilani




NEW DELHI: A delegation of India's main opposition, the National Democratic Alliance, met Indian President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum on the recent India-Pakistan joint statement.




Prime ministers Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani signed the joint statement during a meeting in Egypt this month, agreeing to de-link the issue of terrorism from the broader peace process.




"The government has just been formed and after the first foreign tour of the PM facts about the Indo-Pak joint statement have gradually come to light which have raised doubts among people of this country," opposition leader Lal Krishna Advani told reporters after meeting the president.




Opposition leaders saw the statement as a departure from New Delhi's stand that a resumption of dialogue could only take place if Pakistan acted against the militants India believed were behind last year's Mumbai attacks.




"Suddenly, the country saw that the joint statement highlighted that India has agreed that whether Pakistan takes any necessary action against terrorism or not, the talks between them would continue," he said.




The memorandum accused Singh and Indian negotiators of a "blatant and huge blunder" in spotlighting Balochistan by allowing the insertion of Gilani's "unilateral" remark on "threats in Balochistan" in the statement.




"To-date, Balochistan had never been mentioned in any talks. This is the first time it has been mentioned, and mentioned in such a way as if we are responsible for it and now we are saying that we will not let that happen again," Advani added.




Singh will defend efforts to improve ties with Pakistan in a parliament debate on Wednesday (today).