Resumption of dialogue: The ball is now in India’s court, says PM

Nawaz Sharif says New Delhi shouldn’t have unilaterally called off foreign secretary-level talks.

ONBOARD PM’S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT:

 Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday advised India to take the initiative and resume the stalled dialogue process with Pakistan.

“Now the ball is in India’s court,” he said referring to India’s unilateral decision to call off the foreign secretary-level talks which were due in August this year. India had snapped the talks in protest at a meeting of Pakistan’s high commissioner in New Delhi with leaders from the Indian side of the disputed Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Talking to journalists aboard his flight from Islamabad to the Nepalese capital, Premier Nawaz said that he and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, had jointly decided that the foreign secretaries of the two countries should meet in Islamabad in August. “These talks should not have been cancelled unilaterally,” he said with a touch of regret.

Premier Nawaz had travelled to New Delhi in May to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Modi following a landslide victory of the Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party in the Indian elections. But the bonhomie created by Nawaz’s visit and subsequent exchange of gifts didn’t last long.



Subsequently, India called off the foreign secretary-level talks which was followed by deadly skirmishes between Pakistani and Indian troops along the Line of Control and Working Boundary that continue sporadically till date.

Asked about the possibility of resumption of talks with India, Premier Nawaz told journalists that the question ought to be directed at Indian authorities in view of their country’s unilateral decision to scrap the foreign secretary-level talks. “Pakistan was disappointed by this decision and now India should take the initiative to resume the talks,” he added.

The prime minister is due to attend on Wednesday the 18th summit of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (Saarc). Indian Premier Narendra Modi is among other Saarc leaders, who will attend the summit.

PM Nawaz underscored the need for strengthening Saarc as an effective regional grouping and harnessing its potential to the fullest. “Though Saarc is going to complete 30 years of its establishment, it is far behind other regional forums,” he added.

The prime minister said he had visited some earlier Saarc summits and had given several proposals for its improvement. He added that regional conflicts were the main impediment to the strengthening of Saarc. He, however, said Pakistan would continue playing its role in making Saarc an effective body.

Later when Premier Nawaz reached Kathmandu, he received a red carpet welcome at the Tribhuvan International Airport. Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister Bam Dev Gautam received the prime minister and a contingent of Nepal’s armed forces presented a salute as national anthems of the two countries were played.

The prime minister’s entourage includes his special assistants Tariq Fatemi and Irfan Siddiqui and wife Begum Kalsoom Nawaz. Hundreds of Nepalese lined the route from the airport to his hotel. They waved Pakistani flags as the prime minister drove past them. His large portraits and Pakistani flags were placed along the roadside.

The prime minister will share with the regional leaders his desire for a ‘peaceful neighbourhood’ where only meaningful cooperation can come up to the expectations of 1.5 billion people living in the region. He will join other regional leaders at the City Hall, Rastriya Sabha Griha, on Wednesday at the inaugural and closing ceremonies. He will be meeting Nepal’s President Ram Baran Yadav and Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, besides other leaders during his stay.

A senior Foreign Office official said Pakistan firmly believed that the full potential of Saarc could only be fully realised if differences, particularly the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, were resolved through a sustained dialogue process between Pakistan and India. The Saarc Charter forbids any debate on conflicts and disputes and requires amendment with unanimity.

The Kathmandu Summit is being attended by a number of observers from China, Japan, Australia, the United States and the European Union. The summit has been preceded by preparatory meetings at the senior official and ministerial levels. Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry met his counterparts at the Saarc Standing Committee Meeting, which was followed by the meeting of Sartaj Aziz, adviser to the prime minister on national security and foreign affairs.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2014.