Retrospectively Raghubir

The Congress has accused the government of keeping the Opposition uninformed about unofficial talks with Pakistan, even while the Prime Minister asserted that there would be no negotiations until Pakistan withdrew all infiltrators from Kargil.

The party wants the government to set up an "institutionalised mechanism for comprehensive political consultations" and participation in discussions with the Opposition. In this proposed forum, the government will share information with the Opposition at least thrice a week.

Referring to the recent visit of former foreign secretary of Pakistan Niaz Naik to Delhi, the Congress said it was unfortunate that the people of the country should learn about this from the Pakistani press and their spokespersons.

Natwar Singh, chief of the party's foreign affairs department, said Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee should have shared this information with the Opposition at the all-party meet on Monday.

The party said media reports in India and Pakistan indicated that the Pakistan envoy had discussed safe passage for infiltrators and other measures of quid pro quo with Vajpayee and foreign minister Jaswant Singh.

The party asserted that the government's "amateurish approach" had caused "utter confusion" among the public and had sent "very wrong signals" to the armed forces engaged in a do-or-die battle at Kargil.

When asked why it was wrong to have an unofficial consultation with Pakistan, Natwar Singh said it was objectionable in the face of Vajpayee asserting that no talks would be held until the infiltrators withdrew.

He also felt that diplomatic channels rather than unofficial channels should have been used. According to reports, the government had sent senior journalist R K Mishra to negotiate with Pakistan before Niaz Naik's New Delhi visit.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad warned the government of the consequences of its reluctance to call a special session of Rajya Sabha. Azad likened it to the Opposition's demand to set up a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) in the case of the Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat's removal as the navy chief.

The government would have survived and there would not have been a caretaker government at such a crucial juncture had the government conceded the Opposition's demand for a JPC, Azad said.

The government might face a similar situation if it rejected the Opposition demand for a Rajya Sabha session, where the Opposition could actually help the government by suggesting measures on the diplomatic front, he said.