Pakistan Army today dismissed as "unfounded" and "totally baseless" a media
report that its powerful chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani held talks with Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh through a "secret envoy and back channel".
A spokesperson of the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR)
denied the news item which appeared in The Times of London on April 23
and called it "unfounded and totally baseless".
The paper had reported that Singh had appointed an "unofficial envoy" to make
contact with Kayani, "who exercises de facto control over Pakistan's foreign
policy".
The talks, through a back channel, have encouraged the UK and US believe that
the countries' competition for influence in Afghanistan could be better managed
during efforts to start a peace process, the media report had said.
The prime minister's office in New Delhi had yesterday termed as 'false' the
report that Singh had contacted Kayani before the Mohali meeting between prime
ministers of the two countries.PTI
