Newspaper report says Indian premier will do ‘some tough talking’ on Kashmir issue if structured dialogue between Modi and Sharif does take place
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to tell Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to refrain from “internationalising” the Kashmir issue if they meet at the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit in Kathmandu this week, a report published in The Economic Times said.
Considering the format of the SAARC summit, all eight leaders will be present at the venue and Modi will likely meet Nawaz during the launch, retreat and closing ceremonies of the summit on Wednesday and Thursday.
The report quotes official sources as saying that if a structured dialogue between Modi and Sharif does take place, the Indian premier will do “some tough talking” on the Kashmir issue in the backdrop of Pakistan’s stance on meeting with Hurriyat leaders as well as the recent skirmishes on the Line of Control (LoC).
The report stated that the Indian government is agitated by Pakistan’s efforts to involve the international community to resolve the Kashmir dispute.
Pakistan has maintained the position that the United Nations should perform its “responsibility” in resolving the Kashmir dispute, whereas the Indian position remains that the issue should be discussed in a bilateral format. Recently, Sharif stated that the Kashmir issue should be resolved through talks in accordance with UN Security Council’s resolutions and called on the international community to bring India to the dialogue table.
“Both countries need confidence-building measures and the international community’s influence and persuasion were required to bring India to the negotiating table,” Sharif had said.
He regretted that not only had UN resolutions not been implemented, unarmed Kashmiris were being constantly subjected to ruthless atrocities, amounting to serious human rights violations.
