NEW DELHI : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today urged Pakistan National Security Advisor (NSA) Sartaj Aziz to come to talk only on terror and talk without involving any third party in the dialogues.
She categorically rejected the Pakistan contention that Ufa agreement included on talks on Kashmir as well.
Addressing a press conference here, she sought to underline that the talks that were 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 Mr Nawaz Sharif that they should first hold talks on terror.
” What happened in Ufa was not for composite dialogue nor resumed dialogue but was a step to create the atmosphere for resumed dialogue,” she said.
But the agenda sent out by Pakistan included all those issues that were included in the composite dialogue, she said.
Ms Swaraj sought to point out that going by the spirit of the Simla agreement, Pakistan should not make Kashmiri separatists a party to the dialogue and in keeping with the spirit of the Ufa joint statement, it should not include terror in the agenda of NSA talks.
”Mr Sartaj Aziz is all welcome,” she said he should come as India had set no pre-condition but it was only Pakistan which was advancing conditions against the spirit of the Shimla agreement and Ufa.
She insisted that Kashmir as a core issue was not included in Ufa. In reply to a question, Ms Swaraj said that there was no full stop in diplomacy and she did not say that if talks were not held this time, they would never be held again.
When asked pointedly that if Pakistan remained adamant on including terror and involving Hurriyat leaders, would the talks be called off, she said that ”the talks will not take place then.” ”If they do not give an assurance in this regard, there will be no talks,” she reiterated in reply to another question.
Asserting that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif must have pre-decided not to go ahead with the talks, Ms Swaraj pointed out that acceptance of the invite sent by India for talks was conveyed to New Delhi only on August 14, barely days before the scheduled meeting.
In fact, even before the DG, BSF and DGMO talks could be held to pave way for the bilateral dialogue but ”we were surprised that we did not receive a reply,” she added. India had persisted with the talks despite there having been ”91 cease-fire violations” since the last UFA meeting, she told reporters here. There was no let up on the pressure on India to call off the talks, the External Affairs minister said recounting the spate of attacks from the Western side of the border including the Gurdaspur terrorist attack. ”Despite these provocations, we said there should no cancellation of talks,”the minister said.
”We said these talks are aimed at reducing terror. In fact we must go ahead with the talks and will not cancel the talks.”
Agenda for the talks were sent, she said it specifically mentioned that the talks would be on terrorism and no extraneous issue would be permitted.
”I reiterate that India wants to have conducive talks,” she said, pointing out that all outstanding issues other than Jammu and Kashmir could be taken up.
Pointing to the Shimla Agreement, she said both countries were signatories and it specifically rules out presence of ”either a third party or third person” in the bilateral dialogue.
The Minister pleaded that respecting the UFA spirit, the ambit of the talks should not be extended.
Though terror and talks could not proceed apace, she maintained that India continued to pursue the dialogue precisely because it was based on ending terrorism.
”We said it before that Hurriyat should not be made third party.” she asserted. (agencies)
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