BJP says PM got hoodwinked by Gen Musharraf

New Delhi, Sep 30 (UNI) The BJP has stated that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh deserved to be pitied for falling victim to Pakistan President Gen Musharraf's 'hoodwinking' on the terrorism issue forgetting his own very recent statements made to the nation. Party's mouthpiece 'BJP Today' in an editorial took the Prime Minister to task for succumbing to Gen Musharraf's "stagemanaged terrorist attack " on himself to create an illusion that Pakistan was also a victim of terror. "At least he had succeeded in convincing the Prime Minister that the poor General is unsafe and threatened and so India has to jump to his rescue", the organ said.

The editorial said it was difficult to understand what made the Prime Minister take a sudden and unexpected 'U-turn' at Havana to develop faith in the Pakistan General when nobody including common Pakistanis were not ready to give any credence to the General's claims.

Soon after the Mumbai blasts, the Prime Minister stated that he was certain that these terror modules were 'instigated, inspired and supported' by elements across the border without which they can not act with such devastating effect. In his August 15 speech from the ramparts of Red Fort, Dr Singh had become the first Prime Minister to ask Pakistan to take concrete steps to implement the solemn assurance gvien to prevent cross-border terrorism against India from any territory within its territory.

"But what can you do if a person loses memory and forgets what he said only the other day? What can you do if a person refuses to see what is very much there before his eyes? what can you do if a person refuses to hear sane voice. You can just pity the man, and this is the story of our PM", the editorial lamented.

At no time Gen Musharraf cooperated with India after it seized power in a military coup. India handed over the list of most wanted terrorists, murderers and rapists enjoying the General's hospitality in Pakistan. Just two days after the Havana declaration, Pakistan Foreign Minister Aziz Ahmed Khan was on record to assert his country will not discuss India's most wanted list under anti-terror mechanism. "It is known to common Indian that Musharraf changed his statements every other day but not PM", the BJP said.

India's changed stance on Pakistan was in conflict with its own statements in the Parliament and Defence Minister Pranab Kumar Mukherjee had stated that there was no evidence to suggest that Pakistan had taken measures to dismantle terror training camps in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and even the FBI, of the United States produce proof of such camps operating in Pakistan.

"At a time when India needed to strike at Musharraf for his failure to contain terror from Pak territory Dr Singh had rewarded him with a joint institutional mechanism to discuss terror and pledged to build on convergences and narrow down divergences", the paper regretted.

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