Aziz looking to counter Delhi’s finger-pointing

Foreign affairs adviser meets prime minister to discuss strategy for the regional meeting

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz will attend the Heart of Asia Conference hosted by India with an aim to not concede open ground to India or allow it to use the summit to point fingers at Pakistan, officials said on Thursday.

The conference, taking place in Amritsar on December 3 and 4, comes against the backdrop of simmering tensions between the nuclear-tipped arch-rivals.



The adviser on Thursday called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to discuss the strategy for the conference. “Aziz sought guidance from the prime minister on the Heart of Asia conference in the context of improving peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan,” said an official handout released by the Prime Minister’s Office.

While Pakistan is open for any constructive engagement at the sidelines of the conference with India, officials explained that Pakistan decided to go to Amritsar to convey a clear message to the outside world that it was Delhi, not Islamabad, which was creating impediments in the way of regional peace.

Initially, it was thought that Pakistan might boycott the regional grouping after India stayed away from the Saarc summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November.

The other reason that prompted the government to send the adviser to India was to not allow any opportunity to India to score political points against Pakistan.

The adviser’s short stay in Amritsar is likely to be tense as reports suggested that certain hardline Hindu groups oppose his participation.

At his weekly news briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said Pakistan was attending the Heart of Asia Conference because it was committed to contributing towards all efforts and initiatives that were aimed at bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan.

“Despite all negativity, our participation in Heart of Asia Conference is quite significant and should be seen as such,” Zakaria emphasized. He said Pakistan would continue to play its part for the peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.  “Our efforts in this regard are ongoing and whenever asked, Pakistan will play its role towards bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he added.



Asked to comment on the possibility of any bilateral meeting with India at the sidelines of Heart of Asia conference, the spokesperson said such occasions do afford opportunities for meetings on the sidelines. “We have said time and again that Pakistan believes in peaceful neighbourhood and have always stressed the need for meaningful dialogue as the only viable solution to lasting peace,” he maintained.

However, he said there was no bilateral meeting planned as of yet with India in Amritsar.

Pakistan’s High Commissioner to New Delhi Abdul Basit also said that Islamabad was ready for unconditional dialogue process with India saying that ultimately all disputes had to be settled through talks.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2016.