Pakistan

India uncertain on fate of planned high-level Pakistan meets

Indian officials say fate of two other meetings is also not clear and will take a few days for some more clarity

Afp August 23, 2015

PHOTO: REUTERS

NEW DELHI: Indian officials said on Sunday that two planned meetings with Pakistani counterparts are now uncertain after talks between their national security advisers were cancelled amid a row over disputed Kashmir.

Pakistan said late Saturday it could not accept India's "preconditions" for the talks which had been scheduled for Sunday in New Delhi, effectively cancelling them.

Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said Saturday that apart from Sunday's meeting two other high-level meetings of officials had been planned to discuss border and ceasefire violations.

Read: At 11th hour, NSA talks called off

Cross-border shelling in Kashmir this month has caused several civilian deaths on both sides.

The minister said the meetings plan had been agreed by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan's Nawaz Sharif when they met in the Russian city of Ufa last month.

"We have already described the cancellation of NSAs (national security advisers) meet by Pakistan as unfortunate," a senior foreign ministry official told AFP on Sunday, referring to an earlier Tweet by the ministry.

Read: Pakistan-India deadlock: Foreign policy wizards expect regional peace to suffer

"Now, the fate of those other two meetings is also not clear... it will take a few days for some more clarity."

Swaraj had given Islamabad till Saturday midnight to agree to restrict the NSA talks to "terrorism only" after a row over Pakistan's plan to meet Kashmiri separatist leaders and its insistence on broadening the scope of the talks.

Swaraj insisted that what Pakistan described as "preconditions" were actually "the agenda for NSAs meet which both leaders agreed to in Ufa".

Read: US expresses disappointment over cancellation of Pakistan, India peace talks

In response to Swaraj's comments, Pakistan's foreign ministry said "the scheduled NSA-level talks cannot be held on the basis of the preconditions set by India".

"We have come to the conclusion that the proposed NSA-level talks between the two countries would not serve any purpose, if conducted on the basis of the two conditions laid down by the minister," it said in a statement.

Last year India cancelled talks with Pakistan because of a meeting between Islamabad and Kashmiri separatist officials, a move that set back already tense relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region since both gained independence in 1947, and it remains a major source of tension.

COMMENTS (21)

Salman | 8 years ago | Reply Get a Life Indians. What are you teaching us ? you are trying to burn next door neighbor and shout for heat? You complain for Hafiz saeed and spare the Samjhoota express convict Swami Aseemanand? You talk about lakhnavi while You give state funeral to Sarbajeet singh for killing 25 Innocent people ? Separate the east Pakistan and claim Pakistan is fueling Kashmir? Talk about peace so why shouldn't we start with Simla accord? Stop day dreaming and crying like a child every morning. World is not ready to buy old stories. Just in-case you threat for war , You are more than welcome . Deal with the pigeon and move on.

Sarfaraz Abbasi | 8 years ago | Reply @Tony Singh: And you know that as an outsider!!!

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Sarfaraz Abbasi | 8 years ago | Reply @Dr Priyanka: People around the world have different opinion about India because India is polishing their image and hiding the truth under the rug - some of which thankfully for the Modi-Government is done by you after looking after your patients. Maybe it is time you get off Wikipedia, it has already made your mind quite negative about Pakistan.

Sarfaraz Abbasi | 8 years ago | Reply @yugal: Then what should Pakistan talk to India if they do not to Hurriyat? What is left to talk about with India?

Yugal | 8 years ago | Reply @Khalid Saeed. Where is this Independent Kashmir? India havent ban Hurriyat and ppl from this dumb party can move anywhere in India. Who r the representatie of Kashmir ? Elected govt. If pakstan s really serious on it they shud talk to Mr CM.elections in Indian Kashmir is far fair then in Pakistan and far better then Pok.

Pan Mat | 8 years ago | Reply It is very clear that Modi government has no interest in talking to Pakistan but what is amazing is that Pak played right into Modi's hand. There was international pressure on Modi to hold talks with Pakistan and he played his hand very well and left Pakistan with no room to manouevre. Pak media can thump thier chest all day long and claim victory but Modi is likely having the last laugh as he never wanted to talk with Pakistan.

usman777 | 8 years ago | Reply @prakash , Don't agree with everything you said, but well articulated. quite rare for your other countrymen commenters here..

Khalid Saeed | 8 years ago | Reply Tony Singh@ If your statement is taken as serious and based upon truth, then it is new for me that in East Punjab live hindus and not Sikhs.

Easy Peasy | 8 years ago | Reply @shahid, I have seen a number of comments from you. What is it that you smoke? Please do pass it on to us, the less fortunate.

Last Word | 8 years ago | Reply India conducting talks with Pakistan is an exercise in futility till the latter changes its mindset of using terrorism as a state tool against neighbours especially India. Even if the New Delhi talks had taken place, no favourable outcome would have come out except charges, counter-charges and denials. Pakistan was clearly trying to avoid talks on terrorism which it had been exporting to India for several decades and under no circumstances wanted to make any commitment to India for stopping it. The world must pressurise Pakistan to abandon use of terror as a state policy and ask it wind up the terror machinery for the sake of peace in the whole region as well as welfare of its own people.

Nikhil | 8 years ago | Reply India should not talk to Pakistan any more, instead it should expose Pakistan the way it did now. In Ufa, it was made clear that they will be about terrorism. Nawaz Sharif was heavily criticized for not including kashmir agenda in the talks back home. So Pakistan army's pressure brought Hurriyat in between. Whenever the Kashmir issue is to be discussed, the Indian government will take on board parties from all three regions of the state: Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh and not only Hurriyat.

shahid | 8 years ago | Reply @Dr Priyanka: Getting jealous are you ?? it dont matter what you are and what you think; just watch the show and be ready for whatever comes at you; Dont get carried away in the La-La dreamland of greatness; you will for sure get a very horrific wake up call; nothing stays down forever, and it is time now; So, enjoy the few moments you have and have fun, think others are fools and make fun of them, just in a very short time you will be rudely awakened. Reality of life is very cruel;

Malatesh | 8 years ago | Reply It is surprising to see no Pakistanis are commenting on Dawood in karachi with four Pakistani passports. Even his utility bills are published in Indian media and even they went ahead and talked to Dawood 's wife. What a shame....

Abdul Jabbar | 8 years ago | Reply Why not Pakistan try new theory. Pakistan should declare Pak Occupied Kashmir a independent country. Withdraw all Pakistani army from POK. Let the new government of Kashmir deal with India?

Tony Singh | 8 years ago | Reply @Khalid Saeed: How ignorant you are! There are no Kashmiris in "Free Kashmir". Only Punjabis.

Dr Priyanka | 8 years ago | Reply @shahid: ' instead of slapping hands, which you are used to, with other small neighbors you have..; The sooner you wake up, the better for you'. People around the world have a very different opinion of India compared to yours. Maybe you will be the great person who will rewrite the wiki of India. Keep us updated when you do.

Khalid Saeed | 8 years ago | Reply Yugal@ Kashmiri living in Free Kashmir are free to make their own decision, while Kashmiri living in occupied Kashmir are forced to follow Delhi instructions. When Indian foreign minister has her admitted as a point of discussion between India and Pakistan, Then I fail to understand the heu and cry on meeting people from Occupied Kashmir. Having said this, India and Indians should understand that there will be no prosperity in the region without seeking a solution of issue that has been source of war between two countries in the past and this can only happen with an amicable solution that is acceptable to people of Kashmir.

Prakash | 8 years ago | Reply The fiasco has highlighted the powerlessness of the Nawaz Sharif government. Despite agreeing at the PM level, NS is unable to even depute an adviser for talks with India without facing behind-the-scene pressures from various quarters. The NS government is the only stakeholder in the peace initiative with India; but it cannot take a single step in this direction if it appears to be yielding to India. The military, the jihadists and the other political parties are waiting to tear into the NS government, and only need an excuse. Under the circumstances, the tough stand taken by India only further weakens the NS Government's hands in pursuing peace talks with India. I suggest that PM Modi should invite PM Sharif for unconditional talks on any topic under the sun. Let India even concede some ground on Kashmir, in order to strengthen the peace constituency in Pakistan. Let's try to take off from where NS and Vajpayee had earlier left under the shadow of Kargil war. India must understand that nothing other than a strong civilian government in Pakistan, capable of standing up to the machinations of other power centers, can ensure peace at LOC.

Indian | 8 years ago | Reply Just drop the pretense of holding "talks".

yugal | 8 years ago | Reply If Hurriyat is so important for Pakistan. They should have given their nationality to them. Why they are applying passport from India. They should shift to Pakistan permanently and can talk to then 24*7. Pakistan should decide whether they want to talk to India or Hurriyat. If they want to talk to Hurriyat then they should resolve all the matter with them only.

shahid | 8 years ago | Reply It is a sorry state of affairs that these talks are stalled, maybe deferred, but it needs to be activated by Hindus-tan changing its mindset .. Always remember, Pakistan is not Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal, BanglaDesh (ruled by daughter of the snake), Burma, Sri Lanka; Pakistan is machine which is now activated and not looking back; The sooner Hindus-tan jumps on the bandwagon of progress and lifeline of the region, the Economic Corridor and the TAPI lines, the better for them; Even their bosom buddy US, know it well, and wants to jump on the TAPI line setup by bringing in Shell, Chevron, Mobil etc; So, no uncertainty on the talks, its just a wake up call for Hindus-tan, stop dreaming, come into the real world and join hands, instead of slapping hands, which you are used to, with other small neighbors you have..; The sooner you wake up, the better for you;

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