Date & Time Dsk Vers Slug Status Dur’n St Jan 29 01:46 C* PARTITION: Tape 89 (cont) -:OK 3:46 R* . By; *** Mod; 255 Lang; Shekhar Gupta, executive editor and publisher of the ’Indian Express’ and involved in the genesis of the Lahore process, interviewed by AW in Delhi on 28 January 2000 Q: resp for planting the idea of Lahore A: 'the two PMs had talked about starting a bus service, and had got bogged down with bureacracy; did come up in coversn with Nawaz Sharif ... I sd ... suppose Mr V gave it an impetus by offering to come on the first bus, and NS sd immediately well if he did that he'd get a welcome he'd never forget ... many of us believed we were ripe for a breaktrho in our relship ... and the bus was going to be the symbolism, and a BJP PM of India riding into Pak; I think the PM played it to the script v nicely by even visiting minar-e-Pak, the monument built to commemorate the idea of Pak' Q: you went with him did he het a recepetion he cdn't forget A:'indeed yes, he got an incredibly good reception ... at the same time he got an idea of the porblem, the r/wing anti-India groups ... almsot led to the cancellation of banquet at Red Fort ... they had called for a boycott ... I was being driven to the banquet, and I got stuck in the mob, and in deep panic, I tore off my tie and jackedt and told them I was a businessman, cos if they'd founf out I was an Ind and a journo at that, I'd have got lynched ... that must have gven V a good idea that deep down in Pak problem with India and K as must Jel washing M-e-Pak with holy water cos they thought his visit had sullied them' Q: after Lahore led to public and secret diplomayc, when back from Lahore feel wind was in the sails for a settlement A: 'I v much think so; it was the first time an I PM had put K on the neg table in so forthright a manner ... I still think NS genuinely wanted some kind of decisive breakthro in reins with I' but NS view of looking at politics quite simplistic; so it's quite plausible he knew all about what was going on Kargil, and may have thought ... that wd give I impetus to come to the neg table ... in his sort of buccaneering style ... he miscalculated on the I response, and he miscalc on the seriousness of what he was doing, but he's not a poln who can think thro all these things Q: when Kargil erupted and Lahore unravelled, did V feel personally let down A: 'yes, I think he felt personally let down and betrayed, and if he had not had such enorous personal credibility he wd have looked like a fool ... people wd have sd he was a silly old fellow who went to Pak and made a fool of himself ... we can say Kargil destroyed Lahore process, but cd say possibly it;s Lahore process tat brought you back up from the brink of an all out war during Kargil days, cos two PMs able to have several conversations during Kargil days ... back channel dipl went on, and finally Americans came into fray as well' Q: get any feeling from PM or office that let down by you ...