ISLAMABAD, JULY 8: Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif returned home today amid tight security and immediately briefed the army top brass and other key members of the establishment about his parleys on the Kargil crisis with US President Bill Clinton, which provoked strong protests in the country although president Rafiq Tarar termed the mission as a "great diplomatic success". There was no official statement available on the high-level meeting, attended among others by army chief General Pervez Musharraf and foreign minister Sartaj Aziz, but it was learnt that Sharif took stock of the situation in the country following his commitment to Clinton to take "concrete steps" to restore the sanctity of the Line of Control.He also briefed the meeting about his talks with British prime minister Tony Blair. President Tarar, during a meeting with a delegation of religious leaders, said Sharif's visit to the US and the UK was a "great diplomatic success", and the government asserted it was in "complete harmony" with thepowerful army establishment on the Kargil issue and the premier would soon take the nation into confidence on his meeting with Clinton.
Sharif's return was apparently kept a low-key affair as evident from the fact that the state-run Pakistan Television did not show any clipping of his arrival. The official APP news agency also did not carry details of Sharif's return.
A press conference at Lahore airport where Sharif landed by a scheduled PIA flight, was cancelled at the last moment. Sharif later flew to the capital by a special Falcon plane.
US cautions Pak
WASHINGTON: The US has rejected Pakistan's contention that it has no control over the infiltrators and cautioned Islamabad against linking their withdrawal to the Indians vacating Siachen. They depend on the Pak Army for transport, food and ammunition, and they can order or "advise" the intruders to come back, US officials said.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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