Islamabad rendezvous: Pakistan dubs top diplomats’ meeting ‘icebreaker’

FO advises India to mount a probe first before blaming Pakistan for any terrorist incident

ISLAMABAD:

Islamabad on Thursday quashed the impression that the recent talks between the foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India could not achieve anything, insisting that Tuesday’s interaction between the two top diplomats was an ‘icebreaker’.

“I would not like to characterise it as a failure. India had characterised it as a visit in the context of Saarc. We said it is a visit that is taking place in lieu of the August visit as an icebreaker,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told reporters at a weekly news briefing.

The Indian foreign secretary was scheduled to visit Islamabad for talks in August last year, but New Delhi cancelled the trip at the eleventh hour after Pakistan’s high commissioner met with Kashmiri leaders.

Aslam’s remarks came amid reports that Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar could not agree on the resumption of the 2004 composite dialogue that New Delhi had suspended following the 2008 terrorist attacks on landmarks in Mumbai.

The two countries agreed to work together to find common grounds to narrow down their differences but said they would reflect on the issues discussed during the meeting between the two foreign secretaries and then determine to take the next step.



The spokesperson, however, insisted that the meeting was held in a constructive and positive atmosphere. She would not go into details when asked whether Pakistan shared any documentary evidence regarding the involvement of India in unrest in Balochistan and the tribal regions.

In a statement issued after the talks, Pakistan said its foreign secretary had raised the issue of India’s involvement in trouble in Balochistan and Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

The spokesperson said Indian authorities must investigate before pointing fingers at Pakistan for any terrorist incident in India. “It is not a good approach to blame every terrorist attack on others. We expect that first investigations should be conducted, only then we can talk about it,” she stressed.

Responding to the recent statement attributed to Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington that Islamabad would welcome American decision to keep troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016, Aslam said Pakistan was suggesting a ‘responsible drawdown’. “Essentially, it is for the Afghan government to decide how long they require foreign troops and what kind of assistance from other partners they expect,” she added.

Replying to another question on the Iranian government’s request seeking extradition of suspected Iranian militant Abdul Salam Sattar Rigi, the spokesperson said Pakistan only received a request from the Iranian consulate in Quetta for consular access to Rigi and not for his handover.

Separately, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry briefed the ambassadors of P-5 countries – namely the US, UK, France, China and Russia – and the EU mission in Islamabad on the Indian foreign secretary’s visit.

Describing the visit as a step in the right direction, Chaudhry gave a detailed briefing on Tuesday’s talks, which covered bilateral and regional issues of mutual concern and interest. He also stressed the importance of maintaining sustained and structured dialogue to carry forward the relationship. The envoys expressed satisfaction over the development.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2015.