Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam, during her weekly briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, echoed Sartaj Aziz’s earlier statements, saying India unilaterally cancelled scheduled foreign secretary-level talks without a valid reason.
“Pakistan believes that peace in the neighbourhood is important for development,” she said.
Earlier, the premier’s top foreign policy aide, Aziz, precluded the possibility of talks with India in the near future, blaming New Delhi’s obduracy for the stalemate.
“We don’t expect any breakthrough on resumption of bilateral dialogue with India while the Modi administration is at the helm,” Aziz, the prime minister’s adviser on foreign affairs and national security, told journalists after inaugurating the annual conference of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics on December 2.
“India suspended the dialogue and now it is its responsibility to take an initiative [for reviving the stalled talks],” Aziz said, referring to the cancellation of the scheduled foreign secretary-level talks by New Delhi. He added that Pakistan could not compromise on its self-respect and honour for friendship with India.
Regarding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attending his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi’s oath-taking ceremony, Aslam said Pakistan acted in good faith.
Shifting her focus to relations with Afghanistan, the spokesperson said ties between the two countries are broadening and deepening after the installation of the new government in Afghanistan.
“Pakistan wants stability, peace and prosperity in Afghanistan,” she reiterated.
“Pakistan is practicing the policy of non-interference in Afghanistan and expects that everyone else will practice non-interference."
Further, the spokesperson appreciated the Afghan leadership’s statements that they would not allow Afghan territory to be used against any neighbour.
Afghanistan’s new president told the leaders of India and Pakistan he would not let his country become the battleground of a proxy war November 26.
COMMENTS (8)
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I think Modi has decided that he would talk only to Imran Khan. Pakistanis, please elect Imran Khan if you wish Indo-Pak dialogue to resume. NS is not dependable guy. He does not hold the reign in Pakistan.
Modi during his address at UN had given a loud and clear message that he would extend the hand of friendship provided Pakistan creates a peaceful environment at the line of control. However, Pakistan decided to do just the opposite and continued its decades old policy which is now totally unacceptable to New Delhi and the same has resulted in stalling the dialogue process.
Now one question if India did not start or show sign of any kind of imitative than what will be your next plan until now your all plan fail and did not materialized as you try to en cash all now you have nothing in your bag now show your plan to your country and i watch your tv debate and your so called panelist put their view very strongly for talked with India but he never blink their eyes and any time India show willing ness for talk after cancellation of talk answer is no so you must read and understand clearly message of Modi govt it is not past govt of congress who stop and start talk
I made a study trip in 1974 to study various labour problems in the interior of Sind specially on 2 sectors 1. Farm Labour 2. Brick kiln Labour. It was very interesting to find out that they both have similar problems. Farm Labour & Brick Kiln Labour work in families because they also require place for living. So to bind them for specific period they are given loans by the Land Owners & Kiln Owners which is deducted from their share of yield. The other Land owners & Kiln owners play dirty by offering them to pay off their loans if they work for them that loan is transferred to new owner. Then in walks some NGO of human rights and they mislead these poor guys that we can get you out of this loan, so they fall for this and NGOs with media start saying that they are slaves etc. thus making it look bad.
India won't resume dialogue. Let us just get over it and do what we need to do.
We need to focus on internal problems.
It is time that we stop focusing on India and have strong relations with whom we have ethnic, cultural, ideological links, namely Iran, Afghanistan, and the GCC.
Nawaj Sharif took a political risk by going to India to attend Modi Ji's ceremony. He copped flak for it. I think Modi should have returned the favour by resuming the dialogue.
We heard you. You don't have to say the same thing every day.