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Meeting ground must to end Kashmir row: PM

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said 'a meeting ground' has to be found to resolve the Kashmir tangle with Pakistan.

''Efforts will be directed towards that end,'' he said replying to a question as to why he adopted a rigid posture yesterday while addressing the nation from Red Fort.

He was addressing a media conference after releasing the common manifesto of the National Democratic Alliance.

Asked if his government will sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, if voted to power, the prime minister said a national consensus has to be brought about. ''We are trying to evolve one. We want that the Opposition should be part of that consensus process. A final decision would be taken after the general election,'' he added.

Asked if it would have been easier for him to get the people's mandate if the issue was included in the manifesto, he said he wanted the Opposition to be part of the process.

On the Bofors investigation, he said the government was waiting for the last batch of documents. ''Once they are received, we will ask the Central Bureau of Investigation to frame charges in a court of law. There is no standstill in the investigation. The papers are moving fast,'' he added.

UNI

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