ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI, Aug 22: In a day of hectic developments, Pakistan tonight finally called off the NSA-level talks with India, saying the dialogue could not be held on the basis of the ‘conditions’ set by New Delhi, like limiting the discussion to the issue of terrorism and advising Islamabad not to engage with Hurriyat leaders on the margins of the meeting, that was to be held tomorrow and the day after.
India described as unfortunate Pakistan’s decision to call of the Indo-Pak NSA-level talks, asserting that it did not set any “pre-conditions” as stated by that country.
External Affairs Minister Spokesperson Vikas Swarup while reacting to Pakistan’s decision said India only reiterated that Islamabad respect the spirit of the Shimla and Ufa Agreements to which it was already committed.
“Pakistan’s decision is unfortunate. India did not set any preconditions. We only reiterated that Pakistan respect the spirit of the Simla & Ufa Agreements to which it was already committed,” the spokesperson said in two tweets, shortly after the Pakistan Foreign Ministry made the announcement in Islamabad.
A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan issued tonight in response to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s evening press conference said: “Pakistan has carefully analysed the contents of the Press Conference of Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj this afternoon. We have come to the conclusion that the proposed NSA level talks will not serve any purpose, if conducted on the basis of the two conditions laid down by the Minister.”
This is the second time that efforts to resume the stalled Indian-Pakistan dialogue have received a setback after the Narendra Modi government came to power in India in May last year.
The Foreign Secretary-level talks between the two neighbours, which were to be held in August last year, were cancelled by New Delhi after Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit extended an invite to the Hurriyat leaders, ahead of the dialogue.
It was quite clear yesterday that the two countries were heading yet again towards calling off their talks, which were to be held under an agreement, reached at Ufa (Russia) between the two Prime Ministers, after Pakistan insisted on its NSA Sartaj Aziz meeting the Hurriyat leaders in New Delhi and India making it quite clear to Islamabad that such a meeting must be avoided.
Mr Aziz held a press conference this afternoon, in which he said he was ready to go to New Delhi for talks with Indian NSA Ajit Doval, but without any pre-condition.
Mr Aziz maintained that Kashmir was very much a part of the agenda of the proposed talks on August 23 and 24, as against the Indian stand that talks were only limited to terror.
He rejected the Indian charge that Pakistan was distorting the Ufa understanding, stating that the Ufa statement included discussion on all outstanding issues, including Kashmir.
On the other hand, Ms Swaraj in her response sought to underline that the talks agreed at Ufa were not a composite dialogue, so there was no question of inclusion of Kashmir in that.
“Ufa was not a restoration of composite dialogue,” she said.
Since India was maintaining that talks could not be held in an atmosphere of terror, Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided along with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, that they should first talk of terror.
What happened in Ufa was neither a composite dialogue, nor a resumed dialogue, but was a step to create the atmosphere for resumed dialogue, she said.
Ms Swaraj said Mr Aziz was welcome in India, but he should hold talks without any pre-conditions.
She accused Pakistan of trying to undermine the NSA talks under pressure from “known sources” in Pakistan which were opposed to dialogue with India.
Referring to the “well-known forces” in Pakistan who are against talks, Swaraj said while Indian political leadership can handle pressure the Pakistani leadership cannot take it.
In Ufa the two Prime Ministers agreed that the two sides will hold three meetings; NSAs on terror, border forces on maintaining peace on peace and DGMOs on ceasefire violations.
However, Sharif faced severe criticism back in Pakistan and they prepared the ground for not going ahead with the three meetings.
“We did not have less pressure. There have been as many 91 ceasefire violations besides the two terror attacks in Gurudaspur and Udhampur. But we still decided to go ahead because these talks are on terror,” she said.
Even their response to India’s dates for the NSA talks was long delayed. “We had sent a letter proposing dates for the talks on July 23 and their reply came on August 14, 22 days later,” she said adding that while they were yet to hear from Pakistan on DGMOs meeting.
Even for the meeting between the border forces, which was agreed to be held at the earliest, Pakistan has suggested September 6, with a mindset that the NSA-level talks will not happen.
Asked if India will be disappointed if the talks are called off, she said “obviously, if you take a step of friendship and it does not happen then disappointment is normal”.
She also said if the talks do not take place, it will not be the end of relations. “The Indo-Pak ties are like a road full of potholes. There will be bumps, punctures but you get back on it in some time. There is never a full stop in diplomacy, there are semi colons and commas,” she said.
At the outset, Swaraj made it clear that NSA talks were not part of composite or resumed dialogue but was only to create a conducive atmosphere for those talks.
Asked about Aziz’s comments that the talks in the current atmosphere will be meaningless, she said India was not saying that it will produce full results but talks always yield some outcomes. “It is only with this hope that we hold talks.”
She said Aziz was saying so because they have made up their mind on not coming to Delhi for talks.
On Aziz displaying a purported dossier on the alleged role of RAW in terror incidents in Pakistan, she shot back saying India will not only give dossiers but also produce a “live person” as evidence of their terror activities, a reference to Naved Yakub, a Pakistani national held in Udhampur terror attack.
When reminded that it was former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had allowed a meeting between Hurriyat leaders and then Pakistan president Parvez Musharraf in India, she said “let bygones be bygones”. (AGENCIES)
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