Gujral not scared of Sharief, will take him on in US

Contrary to Islamabad's claim, Prime Minister I K Gujral is not reluctant to meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharief during his impending United States visit.

His statement -- that he would meet Sharief in Washington 'if the opportunity arose' -- was prompted by nothing more than the Pakistani PM's unclear travel plans, senior South Block officials clarified on Tuesday.

"The prime minister will definitely meet Sharief if he is available in Washington," they confirmed, "And no, the decision has not come following any pressure from the US."

The officials came down heavily on Islamabad . "They (Islamabad) cannot set the agenda for the Indo-US talks," they said, "Their criticism about Gujral was irrelevant and uncalled for."

The officials said though the talks between Gujral and US President Bill Clinton may refer to Pakistan, there was no question of compromising India's security, unity and integrity.

Speaking about Pakistan's reported gameplan to internationalise the Kashmir issue whether Gujral met their PM or not, the officials said India would not remain silent to such attempts. "New Delhi cannot afford to be a mute spectator," they said.

EARLIER REPORT: The war will now move to Washington: experts