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Preparing For Musharraf
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THE NATION: INDO-PAK SUMMIT

Preparing For Musharraf

There's a flurry of activity-in Agra to get it ready for the talks and on the LOC to secure the border

By Sayantan Chakravarty and Shishir Gupta

With bated breath, in measured tone, they tell you: not since Emperor Shahjahan erected his magnificent monument of love has the city been given such importance; not even during the famous visit by US President Bill Clinton in March 2000. After all, they declare, it is not just about hosting another summit; the talks between General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be about chalking a new path for two nations that have loved making war.

Or so they hope will be the Taj effect. For as former defence minister George Fernandes puts it, "The Taj is a place that makes people hold hands." It is unlikely Vajpayee and Musharraf will go so far. But will the monument of love at least mellow the traditional hostility between India and Pakistan?

Delhi is leaving nothing to chance. On June 23, Vajpayee summoned Army Chief General S. Padmanabhan to discuss the security situation in Kashmir. The army was directed to maintain a tight vigil on the Line of Control (LoC) during the Agra summit. The instructions were clear-notwithstanding the outcome of the dialogue, the surveillance along the LoC should not be relaxed. No mistaking the message: there should be no Kargil this time, no repetition of the Lahore episode when Vajpayee had to face the embarrassment of discovering that Indian heights were already occupied at the time he went on his bus journey.

Rhetoric and hype from both sides is already beginning to overshadow the visit. An assertion by Musharraf that India had invited him under American pressure and a quick denial thereafter. India repeating its stand on reclaiming Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and the Pakistan President again asserting that he was coming to discuss "Kashmir and other issues" and not "other issues and Kashmir". Amidst all this came the official view on the controversial issue of whether or not the Hurriyat Conference would get an audience with the General. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson was clear-they would not like the separatist leaders to be even invited to the tea being hosted by Pakistani High Commissioner Ashraf Jehangir Qazi.

Preparations in Agra, however, began in earnest as MEA and Prime Minister's Office (PMO) officials busied themselves with more substantive issues. First off the starting blocks were the hospitality merchants vying to host Pakistan's President and First Lady. Two hotels were shortlisted after a preliminary visit by a couple of government teams, one from the MEA and the other led by the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary from Lucknow.

The one that comes closest to playing host to Musharraf-thereby also becoming a strong contender for hosting the summit-is the Mughal Sheraton, a hotel with an impressive record of having global figures as guests. From Prince Charles to Nelson Mandela, from kings of Denmark and Jordan to kings of the boxing ring (Muhammad Ali), from the wealthy like the Sultan of Brunei and the Aga Khan to the highly threatened like Sri Lanka's Chandrika Kumaratunga, the 32-acre, 285-room hotel has in its 25-year existence carved a niche for itself. From the security point of view it is well suited. Last year the Secret Service and the rest of Clinton's entourage preferred the Sheraton to other hotels. Having over 20 acres of greenery-ideal landing turf for helicopters-has not harmed the hotel's cause. The Sheraton's presence in Lahore will be an advantage. The Pakistanis are familiar with its service and its cuisine. In fact, the hotel will be flying down its chefs from the popular Bukhara and Dum Pukht kitchens at Maurya Sheraton, Delhi, men who have made their mark in Frontier and Avadhi cuisine. Says Sanjay Kirpal, the hotel's general manager: "Summits can be further strengthened through the palate."

This apart, the Rs 20,000 a night presidential suites-Tansen and Mansingh-with their Mughal paintings, regal rugs and a view of the Taj, even if somewhat obstructed by a jungle of brick and mortar, offer the kind of grandeur beyond the Gulbadan Gardens that makes them an ideal summit venue. And if the General were to find time, a teak table with fine inlay work on marble offers him access to a laptop computer and www.pakistan.com.

Trailing Sheraton closely is the two-year-old, 347-room Jaypee Palace Hotel, known more for its elaborate conventions and banquets than for having hosted the rich and famous. Motivation guru Deepak Chopra conducted a nine-day seminar here last year and that is saying a lot because the attendance wasn't thin. "We may be young, but we have organised prestigious events at very short notice," says Gurupender Singh, senior manager at the hotel. Jaypee's 7,500-sq ft convention centre is suitable for press briefings, perhaps even the summit. There is an outside chance of these happening at Jaypee, which with its 16 acres, is also equipped for chopper landings. Alas, it offers no view of the wonder in marble.

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