Sinha snubs Musharraf's claims on 'famous handshake'

New Delhi, Oct 16 (UNI) BJP leader Yashwant Sinha today rebuffed Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's claim that his famous handshake with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Kathmandu Summit had 'desired effect' in Islamabad two years after the failed Agra Summit.

Mr Sinha, who served as Finance and Foreign Minister in the BJP led NDA coaltion, reviewed Gen Musharraf's book 'In the Line of Fire' and wrote in 'Kamal Sandesh', a BJP run fortnightly, that ''He (President Musharraf) had come to Agra hoping to conquer India and to hustle the Prime Minister into accepting the unacceptable and failed miserably.'' Gen Musharraf had found more than his match in Mr Vajpayee and he did not have his way even in Islamabad during the SAARC Summit in the first week of January, Mr Sinha claimed. ''We (India) were ready to return even without a joint statement if our concerns were not fully met. The Joint Press Statement issued on January 6, was approved by Mr Vajpayee. Incidentally, the famous handshake of the two at Kathmandu had nothing to with that visit,'' Mr Sinha said.

He said the General's 'complete lack of understanding' of Indian system of governance and his penchant for trying to upstage his interlocutor at every stage killed the Agra Summit. Mr Sinha said the Pakistan President's description of events at Agra was a ''travesty of truth''.

He said the fact of the matter was that Mr Vajpayee did not discuss any draft with Gen Musharraf at Agra. ''There was one draft and not two as he asserts'', Mr Sinha said. The draft was discussed between two Foriegn Ministers and the final Pakistan offer was brought for the consideration of the Prime Minister. The whole of Cabinet Committee on Security except the Defence minister was present at Agra to assist Mr Vajpayee and the document was discussed and not approved at the informal meeting of the CCS, he noted.

''What killed Agra was his bombast as famous interaction with Indian editors, his insistence that the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had described terrorists as 'freedom fighters' and his complete lack of understanding of Indian system, Mr Sinha summed up.

About the handing over of accredited ambassador of Taliban regime in Islamabad, Mr Sinha said, ''His bradvado notwithstanding, it is clear that he had no choice but to meekly give in to the US demand to hand over the Ambassador. The General wants the world to believe that his country was in the forefront of terror and yet he is silent on cross-border terrorism. He does not even refer to the attack on Parliament,'' Mr Sinha said the book was of special interest to India as it provided a glimpse into the mind of the man with whom the nation was dealing with. ''His approach is 'hostile' and he looks at the Indo-Pak bilateral relationship only in terms of victory or defeat.

The book makes a facinating reading giving the reader an insight into the lesser known aspects of his personal life, his army career etc. He thinks he is not only a soldier but also a statesman, the man of destiny not only for Pakistan but the whole world,'' Mr Sinha chided.

He alleged that the book was a bundle of lies, half truths, innuendoes and omissions. He said the answer was a 'resounding no' to the frequently asked question in the country if Gen Musharraf can be trusted? The latest example of Pakistan perfidy is the finding of its role in the recent Mumbail blasts, he observed.

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