NEW DELHI, Nov 12: India and Pakistan seem to have settled for populist posturing until the Indian elections due next year are over. It became clear on Tuesday as Islamabad produced a glum statement on the meeting of their foreign ministers, and New Delhi slammed a largely pro-forma meeting between Sartaj Aziz and the Hurriyat leaders to berate it as counter-productive.

The belated compulsion for Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid to adopt a tough posture towards Sunday’s meeting here involving different factions of the Hurriyat and Pakistan’s foreign policy adviser Sartaj Aziz had at least two clear triggers. His own party hawks, led by Congress scion Rahul Gandhi, do not want to be accused of befriending Pakistan. Anything less would leave them open to the by now familiar vitriol of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of a slew of state polls shortly and the general elections next year.

Consequently, if there was any progress in the meeting of the two foreign ministers their statements did not support the notion. “Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, today held a meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid in New Delhi,” said Pakistan’s statement. The saving grace was that the “meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere. Both sides reviewed bilateral relations in a constructive and forward-looking manner”.

Mr Khurshid addressed the media to cover his flanks after the talks.

About the Aziz-Hurriyat meeting, Mr Khurshid said he did not want to give advice to his “colleague from across the border” but added that if Pakistan is serious about having a meaningful dialogue with India it would be necessary to respect “India’s sentiments, point of view and sensitivities of our country”.

He was quoted as saying more. “This is not a dialogue that happens in isolation, this is a dialogue that is contextual and needs public support, and we think we have done a great deal to help the Pakistan government get the public support that it needs to be able to have a fair and transparent dialogue with India.”

Mr Khurshid did not name the meeting per se, but said: “The events in recent times are not seen by us or indeed by anybody in India as encouraging events, I think they are counter-productive and I would imagine if there is any seriousness in desire to reach some point of situation in which a dialogue meaningfully can take place. Whatever be the end result of the dialogue, I think for a meaningful dialogue to take place conducive conditions have to be created, and it will have to be done by both sides, it cannot be only on one side.”

“Some of these events have been somewhat counter-productive unfortunately,” Mr Khurshid said on the discussion with Mr Aziz on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting.

The BJP had strongly protested the meeting and criticised the government for allowing it to take place. India also raised its concerns over heightened ceasefire violations and infiltration across the Line of Control with Pakistan during the talks.

Earlier on Tuesday, Indian Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde dismissed the BJP’s protests against the Hurriyat meeting, saying such meetings were taking place more regularly under the Vajpayee regime.