IANS/New Delhi/Islamabad
India declared yesterday that “unilateral imposition of new conditions and distortion of the agreed agenda cannot be the basis for going forward” with the NSA-level talks with Pakistan, but stopped short of calling off the dialogue.
In a statement, India questioned Pakistan’s insistence that national security adviser Sartaj Aziz would meet Kashmiri separatists, calling it “a complete departure” from the agreement reached between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif at Ufa, Russia.
“India has always held the position that there are only two stakeholders in our relationship, not three,” the external affairs ministry said in the statement, alluding to the two factions of the Hurriyat Conference invited to meet Aziz in New Delhi ahead of his meeting with Ajit Doval.
The wording of the Indian statement indicated that the talks were being called off. But soon after the statement was reported, Indian officials clarified that New Delhi had not called off the August 23-24 talks.
However, it was clear that the talks would be in jeopardy if Pakistan insisted on going ahead with the Aziz-Hurriyat meeting. It is understood that India’s statement has been conveyed diplomatically to Pakistan. There has been no response as yet from Islamabad.
It is also understood that India has conveyed that it is ready for the “Ufa spirit of the talks to be implemented on the ground” and has asked Pakistan not to give a “distorted interpretation”.
India maintained that at Ufa, both sides agreed on a “limited engagement”, which included the NSA talks on terrorism-related issues, talks on ceasefire violations and on humanitarian issues. It said it wanted to progress “step by step” and the NSA talks was the first step.
It also contended Pakistan’s assertions that all issues would be discussed at the NSA meeting.
The Pakistan foreign office, in a statement last night, said it was “deeply disappointed” at the Indian statement putting forth “preconditions” for the NSA talks. It said it was the second time that India has “chosen to go back on a decision mutually agreed upon” by their prime ministers “to engage in a comprehensive dialogue, by coming up with frivolous pretexts” and accused India of “reneging” on agreements agreed at between heads of government.
Earlier, the Pakistani foreign office had said “the Hurriyat leaders are true representatives of the Kashmiri people. Pakistan regards them as genuine stakeholders in the efforts to find a lasting solution of the Kashmir dispute”.
Meanwhile, the Indian statement, in a tacit reference to the Pakistani military-intelligence establishment, said: “The people of both countries can legitimately ask what is the force that compels Pakistan to disregard the agreements reached by two elected leaders and sabotage their implementation.
“India remains committed to discussing issues with Pakistan peacefully and bilaterally. In fact, we took the initiative to engage at Ufa. But unilateral imposition of new conditions and distortion of the agreed agenda cannot be the basis for going forward.”
The Indian reaction came after Islamabad conveyed to New Delhi that Aziz would indeed meet Hurriyat leaders at a reception to be hosted by Pakistan’s high commissioner in New Delhi, Abdul Basit.
The external affairs ministry statement said that the stance “... does not come as a surprise. There has been a pattern to Pakistan’s actions after the Ufa summit, and today’s position is a culmination of that approach”.
Earlier yesterday, Pakistan rejected India’s request made on Thursday that Aziz should not meet the Hurriyat leaders ahead of meeting Doval. The decision was taken at a meeting in Islamabad chaired by Nawaz Sharif and attended by army chief General Raheel Sharif. Separately, Aziz also met Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency.
A spokesman for hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani said he would meet Aziz separately.
