Talks invitation to Pak at US behest, charges Mulayam

R B Singh

Lucknow, May 27: Blasting the Atal Behari Vajpayee Government for inviting Pakistan military ruler General Pervez Musharraf for talks on the Kashmir issue without taking the Opposition leaders into confidence, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh today said that the Prime Minister was not even consulting his Cabinet on major issues.

Mulayam Singh said he had a suspicion that under pressure from the US, Prime Minister Vajpayee, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra would give away some territory to Pakistan to reach an accord. His party would oppose any such deal tooth and nail, he declared.

The SP leader clarified that he was not against cordial relations with Pakistan provided these did not compromise with national interest. Reiterating his call for a Mahasangh of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, he suggested that India should strengthen its trade relations with Pakistan, which was still a backward nation.

Addressing media persons here, Mulayam Singh said immediately after taking over as the Prime Minister, Vajpayee had promised to consult the Opposition leaders on the national security issues but said they were kept out of all decisions like the Kargil war, the declaration of unilateral ceasefire or while authorising K.C. Pant for initiating talks on Kashmir.

‘‘The Prime Minister and his three colleagues who lack patience and wisdom take a new decision whenever their plan fails to click,’’ he said. One glaring example was their decision to declare a unilateral ceasefire and now, to withdraw it, he added.

The Prime Minister asked Pant to initiate talks on Kashmir but just as the latter was getting into action, he decided to invite Musharraf for talks, said Mulayam and added that these men were taking decisions in haste, without going into their pros and cons.

The SP supremo charged that all these decisions were being taken by the Vajpayee Government just to please the US. The foreign policy of the BJP-led Government had failed, the SP leader alleged. The souring relations with our neighbours was a cause of concern for the people of the country, he said. India created Bangladesh spending hundreds of crores of rupees but its soldiers tortured BSF jawans to death while the Vajpayee government remained a silent spectator, charged Mulayam.