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Dismissing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's claim that his government had all the relevant answers to questions raised on the India-Pakistan joint statement, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday said that 'unilateral explanations' by him cannot dilute the 'monumental lapse'.
"The language of the joint statement between India and Pakistan is clear. The language is loaded against India. Unilateral explanations by either the Prime Minister or the ruling party cannot dilute the monumental lapse," said senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley.
Earlier in the day, Dr Singh said his government has all the relevant answers on the Indo-Pak joint statement and these will be spelt out by him in the scheduled discussion on the issue in the Lok Sabha on July 29.
"We have all the relevant answers....I have made a statement in Parliament and when the Parliament is again going to discuss the issue. I will clarify," he said.
BJP and other political parties have criticised the mention of Balochistan and delinking of terrorism for holding of composite dialogue with Pakistan. Dr Singh did not elaborate on the issue, saying, "Pending a debate in Parliament, it is inappropriate to answer any specific questions on the issue."
The joint statement was issued after Dr Singh's meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, at the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Sharm-el Sheikh on July 16.