NEW DELHI: Government today made it clear that the recent meeting between Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry should not be mistaken as formal talks between the two countries.
“No formal talks happened between foreign secretaries. Their (Pakistan’s) foreign secretary was here to attend the Heart of Asia conference and they met as a matter of courtesy. This meeting should not considered as formal talks,” Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh clarified.
Responding to supplementaries during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, he said the Indian High Commission in Islamabad has formally conveyed to Pakistan that the JIT visit to India was as per the terms of reference which had been agreed to between the two governments through their respective Foreign Offices.
“They were on reciprocal basis and in accordance with existing legal provisions.They have not refuted this stand,” Gen Singh said. Answering the starred question on the visit of JIT, he said that the Pathankot airbase attack has served to stress once again the centrality of India’s concern regarding cross-border terrorism.
“The need for Pakistan to effectively address this aspect has been reiterated several times to Pakistan at the highest level,” the Minister said. (AGENCIES)
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