Ahead NSA-level talks, Pakistan asks India to stop blame game

When countries with relations marred by hostility and distrust agree to talk, they must make an effort to create a conducive atmosphere beforehand, as otherwise talks will not only fail but the mistrust will deepen.

The question now is whether, in view of Pakistan’s defiant actions, the NSA-level dialogue should proceed.

India has proposed August 23-24 for the meeting between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Sartaj Aziz in New Delhi though the dated have not been finalised yet.

If NSA talks go well then Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif could meet in New York, the sources said.

Asif said that Pakistan “wanted peace with its neighbours, including India” and New Delhi should show sincerity in peace talks and end the old tactics of levelling false allegations against Pakistan.

The latest gun battles follow a recent uptick in cross border exchanges of heavy fire between Indian and Pakistani troops.

Aziz contended Saturday that India tends to blame Pakistan for every terrorist incident, “even before investigation could take place”. “I think that is where India made the decision that it would engage with Pakistan without linking the talks with one kind of compliance or another (on Pakistan’s part)”. The formulation on “terrorism” is also weighted in favour of Pakistan, as it equates Pakistan as the source of terror with India that is the victim.

The Gurdaspur and Udhampur terror attacks by suspected Pakistani terrorists have added to the heightened tension, which last week got worse with India deciding to boycott a Commonwealth parliamentary meeting in Islamabad in protest against the Jammu and Kashmir assembly speaker not being given an invite. On balance no, as we only expose our own weakness in doing this.