'We Have To Be Very Careful'

The hon. Prime Minister was perfectly right in inviting General Musharraf byinitiating this peace process. It is because a bilateral process between twonuclear power neighbours is vital. India showed to the whole world that we wereinterested in solving all our outstanding problems at the negotiating table andthrough discussions.

The hon. Prime Minister did consult all the political parties before theSummit talks. The kind of reservations that I now hear from some of my friends,I did not hear them then on that day. Everybody was very enthusiastic and theywelcomed the Prime Minister's initiative.

When we have renewed an inter-Governmental high level talks we must see to itthat we cannot focus it on the sole issue of Kashmir. There are so many otherissues that are much more amenable to successful negotiation. The Prime Ministerwas absolutely right in not putting his signature to whatever draft that wasdoing the rounds.

India could have been much smarter in its handling of the media. We failedmiserably there. I should like the MEA to take note of it for future. Thecentrality that we accord to Kashmir by saying this again and again may bemisused or exploited by Pakistan who always has this obsession, this singlepoint obsession, with Kashmir.

The Prime Minister has accepted the invitation of the return visit. That wasvery statesmanlike of him because this process of re-engagement cannot bestopped. It has to go on. At the same time, we have to be very careful.

Our heart bleeds for the people of Kashmir. We had all hoped for a breakthrough, certainly not a solution but a break through, in this Summit, and thegain should have been Kashmir's. But it looks like that the people of Kashmirwill still have to suffer.

We can try to bring all the groups of Jammu and Kashmir, and try to evolvesome formula for workable political accommodation between these groups. We cantry to give, if possible, some acceptable forms of democratic rights andrepresentation to those segments of Kashmiri people who are alienated and whothink that they are not getting justice from our end.