Agra Summit
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President Pervez Musharraf and the Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in Agra |
A historic summit meeting was held between Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf and the Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in Agra, from the 14th to the 16th of July 2001. The summit started amid high hopes of resolving various disputes between the two countries including the decade old Kashmir issue. Both sides started the summit with optimism, President Musharraf used the phrases "cautious optimism", "flexibility" and "open mind" to describe his state of mind for the summit. The Indian President also promised to take "bold and innovative" measures and to discuss the "core issue" between the two countries.
Various rounds of one - to - one positive talks were held between President Musharraf and Prime Minster Vajpayee. On the first day, a 90-minute one-on-one session of talks was held between the two leaders. The Kashmir issue, cross-border terrorism, nuclear risk reduction, release of prisoners of war (PoWs) and commercial ties were the issues discussed in these talks. The talks went in the right direction and were declared by both the leaders as "positive, frank and constructive". Hopes were aroused that an agreement would be reached and a joint statement or declaration would be made at the end of the summit as the two leaders plunged into serious talks.
President Musharraf during his visit also held face-to-face meetings with the top Kashmiri leadership represented by the APHC. During his stay in India, he also visited his ancestral home, the Naharwali Haveli in the walled city. President Pervez Musharraf also visited the Taj Mehal, the 17th century architectural marvel. During the 40-minute visit, Musharraf and his wife Sehba sat on the "lovers platform" - a marble bench in front of the Taj Mahal, which is no stranger to national leaders and celebrities. Asking questions and pointing to various features of the white marble edifice, President Musharraf spent considerable time studying the intricate carvings on the walls of the Taj Mahal.
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President Musharraf and his wife Sehba in front of the Taj Mahal |
The two day Agra summit between President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee however collapsed and no formal agreement could be reached as the two sides remained inflexible on the core issue of Kashmir, despite five long and arduous one-to-one rounds between the two leaders and hours of discussion between the two delegations. Despite the failure of the talks General Pervez Musharraf on his part to improve the atmosphere, joined Vajpayee to call on the two countries to bury their past. He also invited the Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan as he felt that the issues between Pakistan and India were much more complicated and could not be resolved in a short time.
Although the Agra summit ended in failure, but it was the first step in the right direction. The Agra summit opened the path of dialogue between the two countries and it was hoped that in the future the two heads of the governments would pick up from the threads of understanding reached during discussions at Agra and would find a lasting solution to their long standing disputes.
