I’m aware of it. But this is also true: those days, the Pakistan High Commissioner in Delhi had been meeting me quite often.

•Mr Riyaz Khokhar, who is otherwise known to be a difficult guy, a hawk.

I don’t know. He used to meet me, and I asked him, ‘What kind of a person is this general?’ He said, ‘I’m a foreign service man, I don’t know.’ Then I discussed it with Vajpayeeji, and said, ‘He (the general) is not a political person. He’s an army man, and who knows what his response would be to an invitation from you? It may be different from that of normal leaders.’ It was a gamble (inviting Gen Pervez Musharraf). It wasn’t a decision taken in the Ministry of External Affairs or in the PMO. It was a decision taken between the two of us. And the National Security Adviser at that time said later in an interview that it was not a decision taken at the government level, it was a decision taken by the two leaders.

•And there also, you were the prime mover.

I was.

•Do you have any regrets.

No, not at all.

•Do you think it was a mistake.

The fact that there was desire on my part that there should be normal relations is only underlined by the fact that I did it. Because many people said, ‘You have always been against Pakistan. You have always been against Muslims. You have always been this way and that way.’ I said, ‘Well, I cannot compromise with the nation’s security and so, it was clear in my view, that if there is to be an agreement in Agra, it can be only if Gen Musharraf denounces cross-border terrorism. And if he fails to do that . . .’

... contd.