Sharif sends emissary
to resolve stand-off

ISLAMABAD, June 27 (PTI) — Stung by severe American pressure to pull out of Kargil, the Nawaz Sharif government in Pakistan has despatched former Foreign Secretary Niaz Naik as its special emissary to India on a mission, closely guarded from media, with a set of new proposals to resolve the stand-off.

Mr Naik, who has been very active on Pakistan's diplomatic front explaining Islamabad's stand on the Kargil conflict, left last evening by a special flight for New Delhi where he was to meet Indian officials, a well-placed source among the Pakistani established told PTI.

Not many details of the Niaz Naik mission were available, but the former diplomat carried some proposals to India to end the impasse after a high-level American delegation led by the Commander in Chief of US Central Command General Anthony Zinni held a series of meetings with top Pakistani political and military leaderships here, the source said.

Mr Naik was also sent by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as a special emissary to South-East Asian countries last week and to the USA, according to Pakistani media reports.

The Niaz Naik mission, which the Pakistani authorities wanted to keep secret, was apparently leaked by elements in view of the strong resentment among a section of the Pakistani establishment over American pressure to force Pakistan to withdraw the infiltrators from Dras and Kargil.

Media reports here said Mr Sharif had started the spadework a couple of days ago to create a favourable political ground for a face-saving escape route from the Kargil crisis.

Pakistan's largest circulated Urdu daily "Jung" today said Mr Sharif delivered a crucial address before the parliamentary party meeting of his Pakistan Muslim League two days ago where he reportedly said, "If to come out of the current crisis Pakistan was offered a bigger advantage in return for sacrificing a smaller interest then it should go for it."

Quoting political analysts, the daily said Pakistani withdrawal from Kargil was possible if India promised to settle the Kashmir issue and also claimed that the USA had indicated to Pakistan that in a post-withdrawal scenario Washington would try to help resolve the issue as per the Shimla accord and Lahore Declaration and UN resolutions.

Pakistan, Jung said, had agreed to this formula.

The Pakistani Army Chief, General Pervez Musharraf, had said in Karachi on Saturday that efforts were on to find a "compatible solution" to the current crisis while ruling out any possibility of an outbreak of war between the two countries.

He, however, had asserted that "we will not withdraw unilaterally" when asked about withdrawal of Pakistani troops from the Line of Control.