AGRA, 16 July — It was a unique transformation. To many Indians, who were skeptical of any positive result from the India-Pakistan summit and had not expected much from Pervez Musharraf, the general behind the Kargil conflict, the transformation of the hawkish general into an ambassador of peace has been extraordinary.
The second day of the Pakistani president’s visit to India ended on a positive note. The Indian media, political leaders and many in bureaucracy have admitted that they will have to review their assessment of Musharraf. Some of the comments from Musharraf have pleasantly startled journalists here.
The most stunning statement being, his comment on Indian freedom hero Mohandas Gandhi and the endorsement of his non-violence policy. This they had not expected from the general, as many here still recall vividly the nightmare of Kargil.
In his speech at the banquet hosted by President K. R. Narayanan he again emphasized there was no military solution to the Kashmir crisis between India and Pakistan. “Dialogue is the only process,” he said.
Vinod Sharma of Hindustan Times commented: “Widely believed in India as the author of Kargil, the general’s call for the peaceful solution of the issue (of Kashmir) is a very welcome sign.”
Indian as well as foreign media persons agreed that Musharraf had learned the mechanics of the peace process very fast. “A general who had usurped power in his country just a year ago, his body language and political overtures are that of a very astute politician who has come to India with one intention — peace,” said Shekhar Gupta, editor in chief of Indian Express.
Even Pakistani reporters admitted that they were surprised at Musharraf’s approach to the summit and the manner in which he is conducting the whole process.
Asma Jahangir, a Pakistani human right activist, who makes no secret of her opposition to the dictatorship in Pakistan, too has a word of praise for Musharraf. “He has conducted himself in the best possible manner,” she said. The Hindu-dominated ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also toned down its opposition to the Pakistani strongman. Official spokesman of the BJP, V. K. Malhotra admitted that the general was venturing in the right direction in search of peace.
His gestures at Rajghat, where he went to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi, and then later at his ancestral home in the walled city too baffled political pundits who were initially wary of the general. Experts admitted that their initial study of his body language that he was looking tense and stern was not correct. It appears that the visiting president is determined to wash the stains off his military take-over of an elected government and go down in the history as one of the architects of peace in the subcontinent.
