India on Friday called off National Security Adviser level talks scheduled with Pakistan on Sunday, saying Pakistan was deviating from the agreed upon agenda, the Press Trust of India reported, but the government-run news agency immediately toned down its statement saying the talks had become “unlikely” after recent developments.
The National Security Advisers from Pakistan and India were scheduled to meet on August 23 in New Delhi. The Pakistani Foreign Office said it had not received any such intimation from the Indian government so far, therefore an immediate comment was not available.
Earlier on Friday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that it would not be possible for it to accept the Indian government’s advice regarding National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz’s meeting with Hurriyat leaders.
Spokesperson of Indian Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup in a series of tweets had said that Sartaj Aziz should not hold any meeting with All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) representatives, and termed any such a meeting as “not appropriate”.
A high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later on Friday decided that Pakistan will make no compromise over scheduled meeting with Kashmiri leaders ahead of NSA-level talks with India in New Delhi.
The meeting was also attended by Army Chief General Raheel Sharif.
A message later conveyed to the Indian High Commissioner by Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said that Pakistan is willing to go ahead with the meeting of the NSAs but no pre-conditions will be accepted in this regard.
The press release said India’s insistence to introduce conditionalities and restrict the agenda for the dialogue demonstrates ‘lack of seriousness to engage with Pakistan’.
The statement further said that Kashmir is a disputed territory as per the UN Security Council resolutions which are yet to be implemented. It added that Pakistani leadership has always interacted with representatives of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), during their visits to India there is no reason to depart from this routine practice.
The Hurriyat leaders are true representatives of the Kashmiri people of India-held Kashmir and regarded by Pakistan as genuine stakeholders in the efforts to find a lasting solution of the Kashmir Dispute, according to the press release.
Pakistan has proposed and conveyed to India a comprehensive agenda, reflecting the broad understanding reached between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian Premier Narendra Modi in Ufa, that all outstanding issues, including Kashmir and other disputes, as well as, terrorism issues and other Confidence Building Measures will be discussed between the two countries.
INDIA MAKING EXCUSES:
Commenting on the development, Federal Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid said that India was making excuses for avoiding talks with Pakistan.
“India has made excuses before and refused talks. They are making excuses again,” Rashid said.
