Pak expresses disappointment on India’s pre-conditions for NSA-level talks

Pakistan said it wanted a dialogue without any precondition.

Aziz is likely to meet his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval during his Delhi visit.

However, the Indian external affairs ministry would not categorically say whether the meeting of NSA was cancelled.

Pakistan insisted that they were seeing no reason to depart from the established practice.

Although there was no clear official announcement regarding the cancellation of the talks from either side, a late night statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) on Friday suggested the meeting is unlikely to take place. “We have also sought confirmation of our understanding of the agenda for the NSA-level talks that was conveyed to the Pakistani side on 18 August 2015″.

“This is not a new practice, we have been meeting the (Pakistani) leaders for a long time”.

“The Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders are genuine stakeholders in efforts to find a lasting solution of the Kashmir dispute. They have soured the mood”, said a senior foreign ministry official in New Delhi.

“The people of both countries can legitimately ask today what is the force that compels Pakistan to disregard the agreements reached by two elected leaders and sabotage their implementation, ” Swarup said. But unfortunately, India’s foreign policy is being decided by media channels…

If that happens, they would be released only after talks between the NSAs of India and Pakistan have taken place, the sources said. “India remains committed to discussing issues with Pakistan bilaterally and peacefully”, Swaroop was quoted as saying by ANI.

Strongly objecting to Islamabad’s pre-dialogue manoeuvrings, India said: “Unilateral imposition of new conditions and distortion of the agreed agenda can not be the basis for going forward (for the talks)”.

In Lucknow, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, “We are firm on our stand that whatever talks, dialogue are held with Pakistan, that should only and only be on terrorism”.

The Chief Minister expressed hope that New Delhi and Islamabad will break ice in the upcoming NSA-level talks.

India also objected to the fact that the Pakistan high commissioner invited Hurriyat representatives even before confirming the program or the agenda for the meeting between the NSAs.

Recalling Modi’s swearing-in ceremony which was attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Sayeed praised the Prime Minister for taking a lead in making “SAARC an engine of growth, just what frontline nations did in bringing Europe together under one umbrella”.

The meeting reviewed the implementation of the National Action Plan and chose to ensure its implementation in letter and spirit so that the best results could be attained without much delay.