Cabinet likely to decide on ceasefire extension on Sunday

Cabinet likely to decide on ceasefire extension on Sunday
AJAY SURI

NEW DELHI, FEB 15: The issue of extension of ceasefire in Jammu & Kashmir is likely to be settled on Sunday itself -- eight days before the deadline and a day before Parliament's budget session -- during a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee will chair the meet although intelligence agencies have already speeded up their work of providing crucial input to the decision-makers.

It was in this connection that Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Shyamal Dutta today met Union Home Minister L.K. Advani at the latter's North Block office. Dutta, sources disclosed, briefed Advani for about an hour the situation in the Valley.

The hurry with which the Government is going about in taking up the ceasefire matter may raise quite a few eyebrows. The primary objective, say observers, is to ensure that there is no ruckus in Parliament on the issue. Congress, the main Opposition party, has already given enough hints that it is unhappy with the Government's ``muddled approach'' on restoring peace in J-K and for not taking all political parties into confidence before deciding on the ceasefire.

Moreover, the Allahabad High Court's breather to Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti in the Babri demolition case has effectively deprived Congress and other Opposition parties of stalling Parliament proceedings yet again. ``This is all the more reason,'' as sources close to one of the leaders explained, ``that the Government does not wish to give another handle to the Opposition to disrupt proceedings in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha during the important budget session. With a number of unintroduced Bills spilling over from the badly truncated last session, any further delay is unwarranted.''

It is learnt that the Congress is contemplating asking for a discussion on Kashmir during the coming Parliament's session. A quick decision on ceasefire extension is also being seen in line with the Government's resolve to avoid any pitfall the opposition may prepare for it during the beginning of the session. The ceasefire, though, is officially ending on February 26.

Pakistan chief executive Pervez Musharraf's reported offer to visit India has, surprisingly found no serious takers here. Defence Minister George Fernandes today spoke the Government's mind when he quipped: ``We have not received any official information on his desire to visit India.''

The Government's effort to iron out ruffled feathers on the vexed ceasefire extension prior to the CCS -- J-K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah for one -- are beginning to show result. With Vajpayee having spoken to in detail after the last week's killing of Sikhs in Jammu, Farooq -- much to New Delhi's relief -- today toned down his criticism of unilateral ceasefire. ``I am not against the peace process. I hope the ceasefire announced by the Vajpayee Government will lead to the restoration of peace in the state and improve relations with Islamabad,'' he said in the state Assembly.