Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stating that the Indo-Pak peace process has become Kashmir-centric with the Hurriyat Conference getting prominence over the democratically-elected government of Jammu and Kashmir.
In a letter sent to Dr Singh on Wednesday, the National Democratic Alliance chairman said the United Progressive Alliance government had allowed Pakistan to slip out of its earlier commitment to India. "With great effort and sustained strategy, Pakistan was made to commit to a comprehensive process of normalisation leading to the joint statement of January 6, 2004. But it seems that the peace process has now become Kashmir-centric, an objective cherished by the establishment in Pakistan," he said.
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The Bharatiya Janata Party leader drew Dr Singh's attention to the 'disturbing turn' the peace process with Islamabad has taken.
Maintaining that there was a distinction between moderates and hardliners a year back, Vajpayee said on Thursday moderates were totally pro-Pakistan.
Observing that the Hurriyat visit to Pakistan was 'mishandled' by the Indian authorities, he said, "They should have been given Indian passports and asked to enter Pakistan across the international border."
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