Cong core group meet over Indo-Pak joint statement

As controversy over the reference to Balochistan in the Indo-Pak joint statement rages, NDTV has learnt that it was never discussed in the Prime Minister's meetings before his trip.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Pranab Mukherjee met on Friday and internal divisions over the Indo-Pak joint statement was discussed especially the controversial reference to Balochistan.

Sources have told NDTV that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) did not know Balochistan would be mentioned in the statement while the initial draft of the joint statement was discussed before the PM left for Egypt.

The CCS draft had no mention of Balochistan.

Sections of the Congress are upset at the joint statement but officially the party is rallying around the PM who will make a statement in Parliament on Wednesday.

The Congress party's core committee met to control political damage that's swirling around their ears - the fuss is all about one simple sentence in the Indo-Pak joint statement.

The BJP, the Left, and now even factions in the Congress party are furious how could this be included in an Indo-Pak joint statement - it's never been done ever before. Why did the PM and the foreign affairs ministry allow it?

First let's see what the fuss is all about.

Here's what the joint statement said:
"Prime Minister Yuosuf Raza Gilani mentioned that Pakistan had some information on threats in Balochistan and other areas."

Now at face value it's a totally innocuous sentence, everyone knows there are threats in Balochistan.

But those who are furious say that it implicitly admits that India is involved in those threats.

How they come to that conclusion is unclear. They say the mere fact that is in the joint statement is a signal of India's guilt in supporting terror in Balochistan.

Whether that interpretation is wrong or not doesn't really matter, the reality is that it has gained political momentum and the Congress held the meeting to stop what is becoming too damaging.