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NEW DELHI: India on Friday implicitly ruled out formal talks with Pakistan till Islamabad finishes its probe into the Pathankot airbase attack, local reports said.
They quoted India’s foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup as saying that Delhi had never ever shied away from engaging with Islamabad.
“India is prepared to discuss all outstanding issues with Pakistan bilaterally in an atmosphere, which is free from terror and violence,” Mr Swarup told reporters.
He said that Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar was prepared to hold discussion “on modality of the comprehensive bilateral dialogue with Pakistan” in January, but after the Pathankot airbase attack, India is now waiting for Pakistan to complete their probe.
On Wednesday, Adviser to the PM on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said India was shying away from talks as it “knows that it has to discuss Kashmir and other issues”. Media reports said Mr Swarup’s remarks were a reply to Mr Aziz’s comments.
Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2016
Comments (14) Closed
Denials and deflections will not work.
The dialogue is meant to resolve the outstanding mutual issues and prevent the acts of non state actors, the remedies come through talks not through boycotts...
@Ahmed bin Babar - Exactly!
Can't be sure that we will get any conclusive answers in return.
Indian probe earlier concluded that there is no link between Pathankot and Pakistan. What is the fuss now? Is India fabricating excuses now? Pakistan should also say as long as Kashmir is not on the agenda, no talks.
That's ok.we know India is not serious in dialogue and will keep coming up with excuses not to do so.
@Ahmed bin Babar : how do you suggest talks will stop next attack by non state actors? Unless Pak shows the intent to curb these non state actors, what is the point in talking?
When two people want a same piece of land, there is no way out. Whether its two brothers or two nations. There cannot be a solution to Kashmir as both countries claim it. (Leave aside bogus claim that Kashmiris want independence from both countries).
Now, there are two ways to address this...first is to keep fighting forever or start developing better relations.
@Mohit (US) - Why do you let them in your country?
@Mohit (US) We live and let live but not on your terms...
@Harmony-1© If it's only up to us then there is no point in talking!
@Neeraj - The likes of you can never understand the logic in @Ahmed bin Babar comment.
@NITIN G, Kashmir is neither a piece of land, or a bone. It is the ideological principle of self determination, stating from partition. Once you get that the solution is simple. If you think that it it is not applicable in modern day scenarios then allow an independent body to conduct a referendum, ie INEXIT
@Rizwan Khan
Pakistanis do not have any clue about Kashmir issue. One would hoped that new generation of Pakistan could have gained some understanding by reading global literature on the issue instead of just fringe of imagination from Pakistani establishment but comment like yours really dashed all hopes whatsoever from Pakistani youth.