‘‘IT APPEARS THAT…

This is what the then Defence Minister Parrikar wrote to the defence secretary in 2015. "It appears that the PMO and the French president's office are monitoring the progress of the issue which was an outcome of the summit meeting. Para 5 appears to be an overreaction. Def Sec [Defence Secretary] may resolve issue/matter in consultation with Pr Sec to PM." The operative word that sticks out in the sentence is ‘‘appears that,’’ which suggests that these were Parrikar’s impressions and not a categorical assertion.