Rejecting preconditions: India going back on mutually decided NSA talks, says FO

Foreign office spokesperson says this is the second time India has chosen to go back on mutually agreed upon decision

ISLAMABAD: With the national security level talks between Pakistan and India hang by a thread after Pakistan rejected India’s move to precondition the talks over a meeting between Hurriyat leaders and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz, the foreign office said that India was trying to scupper the talks.

“It is not Pakistan that has placed any condition for the talks. In fact, Pakistan has always demonstrated its belief in the dialogue process and is prepared to engage in meaningful talks with India, to resolve all outstanding issues that have bedeviled relations between the two countries, for the past many decades,” read a statement from Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah, adding that Pakistan was deeply disappointed over the statement from spokesperson of India's Ministry of External Affairs which put pre-conditions on the talks.

Read: Kashmir issue: FO defends Aziz’s liaison with Hurriyat leaders

In a statement issued on Friday evening, the foreign office said that escalating tensions along the border in recent talks weeks made sincere and serious dialogue the need of the hour to immediately reduce tensions and required both countries to undertake the task of normalisation of relations, with sincerity and seriousness.

“This is the second time that India has chosen to go back on a decision mutually agreed upon between the two Prime Ministers, to engage in a comprehensive dialogue, by coming up with frivolous pretexts.”

Defending Pakistan High Commissioner’s invitation to Kashmiri Hurriyat leadership to a reception in honour of Aziz on August 23, Khalilullah said that it was a move very much in keeping with the practice and tradition of the past many years. “Pakistan sees no reason to depart from this established practice. After all, the Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders are genuine stakeholders in efforts to find a lasting solution of the Kashmir dispute.”

Read: No ‘formal agenda’ for NSA talks in Delhi

“For India to refuse to engage in talks with Pakistan on this pretext is a repeat of what it did when it cancelled the foreign secretary level talks that were scheduled to be held on August 25 last year, pursuant to the meeting between the two Prime Ministers in Delhi in May 2014.”

In a veiled reference to the stance adopted by Indian home minister Rajnath Singh that talks should be held only on terrorism, the foreign office spokesperson said that Pakistan had proposed a comprehensive agenda for the talks.

“Consistent with the decisions taken by the two Prime Ministers in Ufa, [agenda] which included discussion on all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, as well as terrorism related matters, and other issues such as religious tourism, release of fishermen and peace and tranquility on the LoC. However, regrettably, the Indian side's desire to restrict the agenda to terrorism related issues only, amounts to a negation of the decisions taken by the two Prime Ministers.”

Pakistan, the statement said, does not disregard agreements or understandings. It is the Indian side which has reneged on commitments agreed upon between the two Heads of Government in the past year.

“Pakistan wishes to reiterate its abiding commitment to promoting a relationship of cordiality and cooperation with all its neighbours, including India, in pursuance of the Prime Minister’s vision of a peaceful neighbourhood.”