New Delhi: Hitting out at the government for lacking "clarity, conviction and consistency" in policies on relations with Pakistan, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on May 8 asked Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to specify the timeframe for resumption of dialogue with Islamabad.

While extending her party's support to Vajpayee's initiatives for durable and enduring peace with Pakistan, she sought to know whether the Prime Minister had "enthusiastic and total" backing of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies, his own Cabinet and party colleagues as also "of his own ideological brotherhood".

"We only wish that the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)-led NDA government's policies with regard to Pakistan has clarity, conviction and consistency. The government's stance has vacillated from extreme to another giving rise to the impression that we are responding to external pressures," Gandhi said.

Initiating the debate on Indo-Pak relations, Gandhi said, "In spite of these inconsistencies, we have extended our broad and sustained support to the government on matters relating to national security, cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and Indo-Pak relations."

Stating that Congress' stand has been vindicated by Vajpayee's initiatives, she, however, said, "We are puzzled and the country awaits an explanation for the inconsistent and contradictory statements by the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister from time to time on such a vital matter."

Government repeatedly stated there would be no resumption of talks with Pakistan so long as cross- border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir continues, she said.

PTI