A day after Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali spoke to Atal Behari Vajpayee, Pakistan said it was willing to go the ‘‘extra mile’’ in restoring relations with India but stressed that instead of looking for ‘‘spectacular’’ results, there was need for ‘‘focussed efforts’’ devoid of rhetoric from both sides. Describing the developments in the last few days as ‘‘positive,’’ Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri told a TV channel on Tuesday, ‘‘let us not look at spectacular things. Let us now look for consolidated efforts, concerted efforts and focussed efforts.’’ He said both countries should try and control their rhetoric and both governments should go back to the relations they had before the terror attack on Indian Parliament. ‘‘We have stopped cross-border movement. We have done all we could. When we start a composite dialogue, we actually create a new paradigm. You unleash new forces in the interest of peace in both the countries. You create peace lovers,’’ he said. Kasuri said it took a ‘‘lot of courage’’ for Jamali to pick up the phone and talk to Vajpayee. ‘‘He (Jamali) took the initiative. Yes, that is one signal. We are willing to go the extra mile. We will not let false pride stand in the way. That’s one signal. Let’s start talking. There will be many signals.’’ And in New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs was trying hard not to let a new controversy brew after the BJP claimed that Vajpayee had declined Jamali’s invitation to visit Pakistan. The BJP took the stand after Vajpayee told its weekly parliamentary party meeting this morning: ‘‘Maine Pakistan ka nimantran sweekar nahin kiya (I have not accepted the Pakistani invitation).’’ But official sources pointed out ‘‘there was no invitation on the table and, therefore, there was no acceptance.’’ The Government clarified that the invitation issue figured in a ‘‘very general way’’ between the two leaders and was not pursued further. ‘‘It’s not correct to say, as reported in some section of the media, that the Prime Minister did not accept the invitation to visit Pakistan, extended by Prime Minister Jamali,’’ an External Affairs Ministry spokesman said. ‘‘The idea of Prime Minister Vajpayee visiting Pakistan or Prime Minister Jamali coming to India was mentioned by the Pakistan Prime Minister in a very general way. The idea was not pursued further by either side during the conversation,’’ he said, adding ‘‘therefore, the question of rejecting the invitation does not arise.’’ Jamali, official sources said, had told Vajpayee: ‘‘Aap aa jaiye, ya main aa jaata hoon (you come over or I will land up).’’ While Vajpayee withheld details of the conversation arguing that he may be required to make a statement in Parliament, he sought to assuage the feelings of party hardliners when he told the meeting that he raised the issue of terrorism with Jamali. In official circles, the buzz was that both countries would have to return high commissioners to their respective missions ahead of any process for dialogue. The BJP, however, lost no time in re-stating two pre-conditions for a resumption of dialogue with Pakistan: an end to cross-border infiltration and dismantling by Islamabad of the terrorist infrastructure. BJP parliamentary party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said, ‘‘The BJP believes that the Prime Minister must remain firm on the two conditions set by him in the course of his speech at Srinagar and the subsequent statement in Parliament. It is no use holding talks until Pakistan continues its proxy-war against us.’’ Party president M Venkaiah Naidu also maintained that the resumption of dialogue would not serve any meaningful ‘‘purpose’’ unless Islamabad put an end to cross-border terrorism. He told journalists on the sidelines of the CII national conference here: ‘‘We want Pakistan to put an end to cross-border terrorism and create an atmosphere conducive to talks. Otherwise, Indian public opinion would not support it.’’(With agency reports)
