He is known as General Pervez Musharraf's best man, and now Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Pakistan's information minister, is in the thick of storm over a row that threatens to embroil India and Pakistan in a verbal duel yet again.

PICTURE SPEAK

SHATTERING PEACE: Blast in Pulwama

It all began when Islamabad's 'state guest', Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Yasin Malik, spilled the beans on June 13 that the General's chief spokesperson ran a jehadi camp. The UPA Government, facing flak for being lethargic in raising the terrorism issue with Islamabad, was quick to respond. "It is particularly serious that people directly involved in such activities continue to occupy high positions in Pakistan," said Navtej Sarna, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs. In response, Ahmed called it interference in Pakistan's internal affairs and alleged the controversy to be the work of hawks in India who wanted to wreck the peace process. "The Indian spokesperson's statement is unparliamentary. I don't want to destroy the peace process by taking unilateral action but we will lodge a protest once General Musharraf is back from his foreign tour next week," Ahmed told India Today from Islamabad (see interview).

Malik claimed that Ahmed had set up a camp at Fateh Jung in Punjab, where around 3,500 jehadis were trained. The camp was located in the vicinity of the facility where Pakistan now assembles its Shaheen missiles supplied by China. "Ahmed used to support the frontline jehadis but very few people know about his contributions," Malik remarked at an exhibition where Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Ahmed were present. But once it backfired, Malik retracted his statement, saying he was only referring to the hospitality the Pakistani leader had extended to Kashmiri separatists. Striking a somewhat ambiguous stance, he added that "even if this (training camp) is true, this happened a long ago". Another separatist leader Hashim Qureshi has confirmed that Ahmed ran camps. Sources say Ahmed, an MP from Rawalpindi, where many jehadi outfits still run their offices, maintains links with some organisations.

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BROTHERS IN ARMS: Malik (left) and Ahmed; (right) a terrorist camp in Pakistan

"Malik has confirmed that not only the ISI but also senior Pakistan Muslim League politicians were involved in fomenting cross-border terrorism," says former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan G. Parthasarathy. Ahmed denies he ran a terrorist camp but the timing of the revelation was such-the day a car-bomb in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir killed 15 people and injured 100 others-that the battle lines are drawn. "No effective action has been taken by Pakistan to dismantle the infrastructure of support to terrorism permanently. This is contrary to the assurance given to us," says Sarna.

The issue of terrorism has again come to the fore. Following the Pulwama blast, North Block asked intelligence and security agencies to rush fresh inputs on terrorism. The blast comes close on the heels of Pakistan-based terrorist group Hizb-ul Mujahideen's assertion that the situation in the Valley warranted continuance of militancy. This lends credence to reports that Islamabad is unlikely to shun the terror card completely. Ironically, the revelation comes at a time when Musharraf is undertaking a visit to Australia to ink a counter-terrorism agreement. While Musharraf said that the Pulwama attack would not affect the peace process, he maintained, "I don't hold a whistle which I can blow and every bullet stops being fired."

In the backdrop of the revival of the summer of terror, Indian officials believe there is a need for course correction in the peace process. Analysts say the progress made in the peace talks has been on issues that suit Pakistan. On opening up of Khokhrapar-Munabao transport link and even Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus link, Islamabad played ball with India because of its domestic political compulsions.

INTERVIEW | SHEIKH RASHID AHMED

"The peace process will be in jeopardy if I am not allowed to go to Kashmir" Pakistan's Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed spoke to Associate Editor saurabh shukla from Islamabad. While denying running a terrorist camp, he said the hawks in India did not want him to come to Kashmir. Q. Did you run the terrorist camp in Fateh Jung? A. I did not run the terrorist camp but I did help refugees from Kashmir. I gave them shelter and provided them support. This controversy has been created to stop me from coming to Kashmir in the bus. Q. But the Government of India maintains it has not received your papers. A. Some people in the Government of India want to destroy the peace process. I have filed all the papers and I will travel on the June 30 bus. Technically, the Indian Government cannot stop me as I have a SAARC visa valid till April 2006, but I don't want to embarrass them, so I have asked for a permit. The peace process will be in jeopardy if I am not allowed to go to Kashmir. Q. Many jehadi organisations have offices in your constituency Rawalpindi. What about them? A. It is a very congested area and I can't ask them to shut down. They are all Kashmiris and I will face problems if I don't treat them well. Q. Will it affect the peace process? A. I have supported the peace process but if such charges are made, even I may turn into a hawk.

In other areas the atmosphere is still vitiated even if the guns are silent. For instance, as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was talking about turning Siachen into a peace zone, in Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Jalil Abbas Jilani had a ballistic response in store: "India committed aggression in Siachen in 1983. It has to vacate that aggression in order to make Siachen a mountain of peace." South Block is not happy at the jibes Pakistan's spokesperson took at the Indian prime minister's statements, but its response has been lethargic. Then again while there was a clear understanding between India and Pakistan on the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service that their nationals would not be allowed to go beyond Kashmir without any valid passport, South Block didn't lodge any diplomatic protest over violations.

Insiders say that on the issue of Hurriyat leaders going to Pakistan without getting their passports stamped, the Foreign Office wanted to lodge a protest but they received confusing signals from the PMO, which is steering the Pakistan policy.

The confusion within the Indian Government does not augur well for its Pakistan policy. While Delhi has demonstrated a degree of maturity and does not display any anti-Pakistan rhetoric at multilateral forums, Islamabad has not reciprocated that gesture. Take for instance its stand at the Coffee Club, where it is making all out efforts to sabotage India's claim for a permanent seat at the un Security Council, and at the Organisation of Islamic Conference, where it has blocked India's entry even as an observer.

While the UPA Government gets it act together, it may now need to calibrate its Pakistan policy and be tough on the issue of cross-border terrorism. Engaging Islamabad is fine but too many diplomatic niceties can often be taken as a weakness.

-with Ramesh Vinayak

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