In an unusual confession Advisor to the Pakistan Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said that the timing of Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit’s meeting with Hurriyat leaders was ‘perhaps not right’.
In an interview with Headlines Today on the sidelines of UNGA meeting, Aziz admitted that the meeting with Kashmiri leaders was ill-timed.
Commenting on last month’s meeting that stalled the dialogue process between the two countries, Aziz said that, “This has been a regular practice for the last 30 years and there was nothing new in it.”
He added that “in this case perhaps the timing was not totally right because substantial discussions on Kashmir were yet to start.
“The newly-elected leaders of both the countries missed an opportunity of starting a dialogue,” Aziz said. However, he insisted that Pakistan can’t ignore Hurriyat.
Aziz said had the request from India about not holding meeting with Hurriyat leaders ahead of the FS-level meeting come a little earlier “probably it could have been considered.”
However, in this case the “message came at a time when one Hurriyat leader was already in Pakistan’s high commission (in New Delhi),” he told Headlines Today news channel.
Aziz also welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement at the UN General Assembly on the need for resumption of dialogue between the two countries as “encouraging”.
“What I find very positive is Prime Minister Modi’s speech at UNGA in which he said I want to improve relations with our neighbours including Pakistan,” said Aziz.
He further added that, “We are upset after India cancelled the talks. Talks are the only way forward for us. Now, the ball is in India’s court to come up with a date.”
India called off the foreign secretary-level talks, which were to be held in Islamabad on August 25, after Abdul Basit met Hurriyat leaders ahead of the negotiations.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2014.
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