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"Musharraf's meetings are aimed at taking the political and religious leaders, and intellectuals, into confidence over his forthcoming talks with the Indian prime minister, which would include a discussion on the question of Kashmir," the Pakistan daily The Dawn said, adding that the meeting was expected to take place in the third week of June.
"We have received a very positive response from the political and religious groups and we want to maintain this rapport with them. It is a national issue and we hope that political and religious leaders will lend their full support to the government," the paper quoted sources as saying.
His decision to consult political parties in addition to religious parties and groups is significant as they were not included in the original list of organisations to be consulted.
Early this month, officials had said Musharraf planned to consult only religious parties and groups.
Later, all major political parties, including the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy demanded that Musharraf take them into confidence as it could strengthen his hands during his talks with Vajpayee.
Meanwhile, in London, Pakistani Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar said India and Pakistan should come out of the "time warp" and work for normalisation of bilateral relations.
He was speaking after talks with his British counterpart, Jack Straw, during which Indo-Pakistan relations and the forthcoming Vajpayee-Musharraf summit figured prominently.
Straw emphasised that Pakistan should either distance itself from Afghanistan's ruling Taleban militia or risk prolonging its international isolation.
The new British foreign secretary "tried to impress on Pakistan the predicament that their close relations with the Taleban place them in with the international community," official sources said.
After the meeting Sattar told reporters that Pakistan's relations with India and the Taleban issue figured during the parleys.
On the possible United States role behind the Indian "change of heart" by inviting Musharraf for talks, Sattar said speculation about it would be "utterly futile" and would not help prospects of a meaningful dialogue.
"We should be more concerned about the end result rather than digging the background manoeuvres," he said. "We should not speculate that a foreign country has been arm-twisting Pakistan or India (for these talks)."
The Complete Coverage: Indo-Pak Summit 2001
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