Lahore Declaration a movement towards “no war”: Jaswant

The documents — Lahore Declaration, Joint Statement and Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two countries — were confidence building measures to enable India and Pakistan to move “brick by brick” towards no war.

He said that the Government would provide all assistance for setting up a joint Parliamentary forum to promote peace and friendship between the two countries.

To members’ queries about third party mediation, Jaswant categorically denied that there was any third party intervention to bring about the Indo-Pak summit.

“I have rejected outright any suggestion of outside intervention,” he said, adding that any intervention, in any form, would destabilise the balance in the region.

Without naming the United States, he said that they have attempted to fish in troubled waters. Referring to Afghanistan, he said experience has proved that any foreign intervention had destabilised the balance for a long time.

India and Pakistan came from the “same womb”, he said, adding, “We do not need any interpreter to talk to each other.”

He also said that Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had been invited to visit India and the date was yet to fixed.

Describing Vajpayee’s historic bus journey to Lahore as a demonstration of “political courage”, Jaswant said that the Indo-Pak talks would be continued at three levels as a follow-up measure — Foreign Minister, Foreign Secretary and expert levels — to resolve all outstanding issues.

He said that the two countries would now hold bilateral talks even on the sidelines of international and multilateral conferences.

As a follow-up of the Lahore visit, Jaswant said he would be meeting his Pakistani counterpart during the SAARC Foreign Ministers’ Conference in Colombo next month.

On CTBT, he said India has assured not to undertake nuclear tests unless national interest dictates otherwise.