No place for Kashmiris in talks, says India

Expressing ‘conviction’ in a tweet that “all outstanding issues could be resolved through bilateral dialogue in an atmosphere free from terror and violence”, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday greeted his Pakistani counterpart Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Pakistan’s National Day.

“I have written to Pakistan Prime Minister Mr Nawaz Sharif, conveying my greetings on the National Day of Pakistan,” Modi further tweeted.

On the contrary, replying in response to Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit’s statement that India had no objection to Hurriyat leaders being invited on Pakistan National Day, the official spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs Monday said that the government of India preferred to “speak for itself”.

The spokesperson went on to say that having repeated it on so many occasions, there should be no scope for misunderstanding or misrepresenting India’s position on the role of the Hurriyat.

“Let me reiterate there are only two parties and there is no place for a third party in resolution of India-Pakistan issues,” Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said, adding that the only way forward to proceed on all outstanding issues is a peaceful bilateral dialogue within the framework of Simla Agreement and Lahore Declaration.

Earlier, Abdul Basit had said Monday that he did not think the Indian government had any objection to his meetings with Hurriyat leaders.

Downplaying his meetings with Hurriyat leaders which have earlier been the cause for India cancelling foreign secretary-level talks, Basit said, “Don’t try to make an issue out of a non-issue.”

Basit added that the primary objective at present is to achieve peace between India and Pakistan and resolve issues and that nothing can be resolved with “show of might”. He further said the Indian foreign secretary was in Pakistan earlier this month and Pakistan was looking forward to resumption of an engagement process.

On Monday, leaders of the Hurriyat Conference and other pro-freedom Kashmiri outfits attended the Pakistan Day function in New Delhi.

The function was also attended by Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Gen (r) VK Singh. Congress leader and former union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar was also present.

Former Indian Army chief VK Singh spent about 10 minutes at the function and sat with Pakistan’s High Commissioner Abdul Basit.

The envoy, in his brief speech, introduced VK Singh as the “chief guest”.

“We owe to our future generations to give them a peaceful atmosphere and not conflict,” Basit later told IANS.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh later told the media that Pakistan can call whoever it wants on its national day.

Coming out of the function, APHC chief Syed Ali Geelani talked about “Azadi” and “state terrorism” in Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir.

He also emphasised on five conditions set by his group in 2010 for any result-oriented talks with Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.

Geelani said the Indian government should accept Kashmir as disputed territory, withdraw its forces and “black laws”, punish those involved in the killing of 128 people in 2010, and release of political prisoners.

Apart from Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and other members of his faction of Hurriyat Conference, which is regarded as moderate, the function was attended by Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik.

Aiyar told the media later that India and Pakistan should show maturity for “uninterrupted dialogue”.