LoC incidents 'setback' to dialogue process: Indian High Commissioner

New Indian High Commissioner stresses on working towards forging a common policy on combating terrorism.

ISLAMABAD: Indian High Commissioner TCA Raghavan's recent trips to the Foreign Office have been mostly to receive protestations from the Pakistan government over incidents along the Line of Control (LoC). However, on Tuesday he visited the Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz in a much more amicable atmosphere, though the conversation ultimately strayed to the very subject which has "setback" the bilateral dialogue process between the two neighbouring countries.

Raghavan, who has only recently taken up charge in Islamabad following the departure of his predecessor Sharat Sabharwal, visited Aziz at his offices in Islamabad on Tuesday, a Foreign Office release said.

The Indian called the recent incidents along the LoC a "setback" in the dialogue process between Pakistan and India, and stressed on the need of a common policy against terrorism.

Aziz, while stressing the importance of resuming the bilateral dialogue process, lamented that tensions along the LoC had derailed the process and the overreaction of Indian media has not helped.

The adviser recounted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s commitment for normalising relations with India, and reiterated the incumbent government's hope of picking up the threads from the Lahore Declaration of 1999.

Aziz said that both sides needed to show maturity and move forward in a positive manner to resolve outstanding issues and put in place a sustainable dialogue process.

Raghavan stated that the LoC incident was a “setback” in the dialogue process. He added that while there was a feeling in India also, to continue to engage with Pakistan, the LoC incidents had raised doubts on Pakistan’s sincerity.

The Indian High Commissioner though felt that both countries needed to work towards forging a common policy on combating terrorism, which would help in allaying many misperceptions that existed.