Centre to `soon' start talks with all parties on J&K -- PM

Centre to `soon' start talks with all parties on J&K -- PM
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, MARCH 12: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today declared in the Lok Sabha the Centre's intention to ``soon'' initiate talks with all parties to advance the Kashmir peace process and firmly asked Pakistan to change its ``unfriendly attitude'' towards India.

Vajpayee also asserted that the Government would not interfere in the legal process in the Ayodhya case.

Admitting that there had been some delay in initiating talks on J&K, Vajpayee said, ``We are soon going to hold talks. We will have talks with all the parties and make efforts to find a solution to the Kashmir issue.''

Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address to Parliament, he said change in international perspective on Kashmir was reflected in remarks made by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in Islamabad endorsing the Lahore peace initiative.

Maintaining that law would take its own course in the Ayodhya case, the Prime Minister said the Government had never interfered in the legal process in any matter nor would it do so.

``Ever since our Government assumed office, it has remained fully committed to the due process of law,'' he said, noting that unlike in the past, the NDA regime had never withdrawn any criminal case against any individual or individuals associated with the Government.

Vajpayee was responding to Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi's criticism of the Government's handling of the Kashmir peace initiative and nuclear policy and wanted to know its stand on the three chargesheeted Ministers -- L K Advani, M M Joshi and Uma Bharti-- in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

The House, while adopting the motion of thanks to the President's address, rejected all amendments by voice vote.

On nuclear policy, Vajpayee said the Government would strive to evolve a consensus on it among political parties to ensure that there was no difference of opinion or resentment on the key issue.

Vajpayee said a consensus nuclear policy would be one for the entire country and acceptable to future governments.

In a scathing attack against the Government, Gandhi accused it of not having a clear policy on Kashmir and blamed it for the worsening plight of farmers and labourers in the country.

Interspering the reply with his characteristic wit, Vajpayee had digs at Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and CPI (M) member Somnath Chatterjee who attacked the Government's policies.

On Yadav's charge that the country was being sold in the name of disinvestment, Vajpayee shot back saying that there was no one who could buy this country. Any person who tries to sell India would be thrown out of power by the people, he said.

Citing a recent article in an English weekly on the Prime Minister's Office, Vajpayee chided news journals for publishing unverified information and ``baseless stories'' saying that they had their own politics to play.