- India calls off Pak-India foreign secretary-level talks as HC meets Hurriyat leader
- Pakistan terms India’s decision ‘setback’ to Sharif’s normalisation efforts
ISLAMABAD
MIAN ABRAR
Reportedly angered over Pakistan’s High Commissioner to New Delhi Abdul Basit’s meeting with pro-freedom Kashmiri groups in New Delhi, India Monday called off foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan which were scheduled for next week, while Pakistan has termed the decision as a “setback” to the efforts made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to promote good neighbourly relations with India.
According to the schedule, Indian External Affairs Secretary Sujatha Singh was to arrive in the capital on August 25 to hold talks with her Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Chaudhry, nearly two years after the India-Pakistan talks were stalled due to incidents along the Line of Control.
The Indian media alleged that the Pakistan HC’s meeting had taken place despite being firmly conveyed by Sujatha that Pakistan had to choose between India and Kashmiri freedom fighters for talks.
“Therefore, under the present circumstances, no useful purpose will be served by the Indian foreign secretary going to Islamabad next week,” the Indian media quoted the spokesperson of the Indian External Affairs Ministry Syed Akbaruddin as saying.
“It was underlined that the Pakistani HC’s meetings with these so called leaders of the Hurriyat undermines the constructive diplomatic engagement initiated by Prime Minister Modi in May on his very first day in office,” Akbaruddin said.
HC MEETS HURRIYAT LEADER:
Earlier, prominent Hurriyat leader Shabir Ahmad Shah called on Pakistan’s High Commissioner to New Delhi Abdul Basit, who has also invited other Hurriyat leaders including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mohammad Yasin Malik for consultations in Delhi today (Tuesday).
The meeting had evoked sharp reaction from political quarters in India with the Congress hitting out at the ruling party for allowing the envoy to meet Hurriyat leaders. This criticism was in contrast to Congress party’s traditions of not banning such meetings in past as Pakistani envoys had in the past too talked to Hurriyat leaders from Kashmir before any major diplomatic initiative with India.
However, Islamabad had broken off from this tradition when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recently visited India to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
FO DEFENDS:
Defending the HC’s meeting with Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said that it was a longstanding practice that prior to Pakistan-India talks, meetings with Kashmiri leaders were held to facilitate a meaningful discussions on the issue of Kashmir.
In an official statement, the spokeswoman said that the prime minister of Pakistan had clearly articulated the vision of peace for development.
“It was in this spirit that he accepted the invitation of the Indian Prime Minister to attend his inaugural ceremony. The meeting between the two foreign secretaries was scheduled at the directive of the two prime ministers.”