'Vajpayee and I were humiliated at Agra'

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said that he and the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee were "humiliated" at the Agra summit in 2001 "by someone above" the two of them.

Writing on the summit in his book, In The Line of Fire, Musharraf said he twice decided to cut short his stay after the Indians "backed out" of two draft agreements.

After two meetings with Vajpayee, a "balanced" joint declaration accepted by both the parties was drafted. It contained a condemnation of terrorism and a recognition that the Kashmir issued needed to be resolved, according to Musharraf.

"The signing ceremony was scheduled for the afternoon (of July 17) in hotel JP Palace where Vajpayee was staying and where we held our dialogue. Preparations in the hotel were complete, down to the table and two chairs where we would sit for the signing ceremony," he has written.

An hour later, he was informed by his foreign minister Abdul Sattar that "the Indians have backed out" as their Cabinet had rejected the draft.

After being cooled down by his diplomats, Musharraf says he allowed them to try for a redraft.

"The redrafting took another two to three hours of intense haggling over words and sentences. But ultimately, my team returned, signalling success. They showed me the new draft, which I approved."

"Yet this too was not to be. Just as I was about to leave for the signing ceremony, I received a message that the Indians had backed out again. This was preposterous. I decided to leave immediately, but my foreign minister persuaded me to call on Prime Minister Vajpayee before leaving. I consented much against my wishes," Musharraf says.

Recalling his meeting with Vajpayee at 11 pm, he says, "I told him bluntly that there seem to be someone above the two of us who had the power to overrule us. I also said that today both of us had been humiliated. He sat there, speechless. I left abruptly after thanking him in a brisk manner."

"Vajpayee failed to grasp the moment and lost his moment in history," he concludes.