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Journalism of Courage
NEW DELHI, MAY 26: The Government today launched a massive damage control exercise amid growing criticism from Opposition parties and calls for restraint from the international community.
Those briefed by Defence Minister George Fernandes include leaders of all the Opposition parties, the BJP’s allies and heads of the US and UK missions in the Capital.
Simultaneously, France, Britain and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan expressed concern over the developments in Kashmir and urged both India and Pakistan to show “utmost caution” in dealing with the situation. They said the matter should be resolved in the spirit of the Lahore Declaration.
The Congress, however, seemed dissatisfied with Fernandes’s explanation. Chairman of the party’s Foreign Affairs Department Natwar Singh told correspondents today that the Defence Minister did not add to the information available in newspaper and television reports.
“It was gross negligence on the Government’s part to have allowed the situation to have reached the proportion it has. Since it is a question of the country’s security, we want a cohesive statement from the Government on all the facts,” Singh asserted.
The Government’s decision to brief appears to have been prompted by the initiative taken by US Ambassador Richard Celeste and UK High Commissioner Rob Young who sought appointments with Fernandes to “ascertain facts” about the Indian action in Kargil. An official said later that Celeste ruled out US intervention.
He also said that the Government has asked its missions abroad to be in regular touch with foreign Governments about Pakistan-backed infiltration into Kashmir and India’s efforts to flush out the intruders.
Fernandes went from briefing to briefing today. Those in the Opposition to whom he has talked include the Left Parties, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sharad Pawar and Mayawati. He called on former Prime Minister I K Gujral in the evening and will meet Narasimha Rao tomorrow.
Meanwhile, an MEA spokesman said today that a stable bilateral relationship between India and Pakistan was not possible as long as the latter engaged in “confrontational and hostile activities”.
He said Pakistan should adhere to the spirit of the Simla Agreement, the Lahore Declaration and the composite dialogue process to which India was committed.
He revealed that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had warned his Pakistani counterpart that India would be compelled to take steps to repulse the intrusion. He described the development as “a new challenge” as it involved the use of Pakistani Army regulars.
Asked what Nawaz Sharif’s response was, the spokesman said the Pakistan Premier’s view was that the Director Generals of Military Operations from both sides should establish contact with each other.
