AFP/Islamabad
Pakistan’s national security adviser insisted yesterday that he was ready to travel to New Delhi for talks with his Indian counterpart despite a row between the arch-rivals over his planned meeting with Kashmiri separatist leaders.
India’s foreign ministry has said it would be inappropriate for Sartaj Aziz to hold talks with representatives of the Hurriyat separatist movement before his meeting on Sunday with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
India cancelled talks with Pakistan last year between their foreign secretaries, outraged over a similar meeting that took place, a move that set back already tense relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
“On my part, I am still prepared to go to New Delhi for NSA talks without any preconditions,” Aziz told a news conference in Islamabad, accusing the Indian media of creating a controversy out of nothing.
Aziz claimed Delhi had “virtually cancelled” today’s talks, and added: “As always, India has been conducting a part of its diplomacy through the Indian media.”
On Friday, India said it urged Pakistan against meeting Kashmiri separatist leaders ahead of the rare talks, hiking tensions.
Meanwhile, a top Pakistani lawmaker said that if India has a right to impose its stance on “talks on terrorism only”, then Pakistan has a right to insist on its position too.
He was reacting to Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s statement in New Delhi.
Regarding the statement of Sushma Swaraj, Pakistan Information Minister Parvaiz Rashid said that Pakistan desires to discuss topics during the NSA level talks which it deems important.
He told Geo TV: “There has been no change in our position, it is India who has changed its position,” adding that if India remains committed to its original stance then talks will definitely commence.
The minister went on to say that National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz is ready with his files and baggage to depart to India.
He added that besides participating in the NSA level talks, Sartaj will also be meeting Hurriyat leaders.
The information minister further said that whenever the talks take place, they will cover “all issues”, adding that in Ufa when the two prime ministers met, it was agreed that the talks would cover all matters.
Rashid also said that so far India’s invitation is still open and Sartaj is ready to go to Delhi unless India takes back its invitation at the last moment in which case it will be held accountable.
Sushma Swaraj said that India has not set any pre-conditions for the NSA level talks with Pakistan.
The Indian minister told reporters that NSA level talks were not part of the composite dialogue process and would only discuss the issue of terrorism. “In Ufa when the two prime ministers met there was no discussion on the composite or resumed dialogue.”
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.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif during a visit to the Russian city of Ufa last month, with the hour-long talks seen as a new thaw in ties between the countries.
The leaders agreed then that their top security officials would meet to “discuss all issues connected to terrorism”, in a resumption of talks between their officials.
Adviser to Pakistan’s Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign, Affairs Sartaj Aziz, shows dossiers on Indian intelligence agency’s involvement
