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PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
NEW DELHI, July 23: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today rejected allegations that intelligence failure had led to incursions in Kargil and offered to institute an inquiry in this regard if necessary.
"There was no intelligence failure and an inquiry will be held if necessary taking into account others perceptions," he said during an interaction with journalists who covered the conflict.
Asked what his perception was on the issue, Vajpayee said "on the surface of it I do not think so (intelligence failure)".
Meanwhile, the Army for the first time joined the controversy on the subject denying that the Army Chief Gen. V P Malik had received any letter from the brigade commander in Kargil regarding enhanced threat perceptions in the Kargil sector in August last year.
Reacting to the Congress charge on this yesterday, an Army statement said, "the chief of army staff secretariat has confirmed that no such letter has been received from the then commander of the brigade, as alleged".
The primeminister said talks with Pakistan could be resumed only after Islamabad creates an atmosphere of trust which had been betrayed by the incursions.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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