India, Pakistan reschedule FS-level talks to ‘near future’

In New Delhi, the Indian Spokesman Vikas Swarup said, “the two foreign secretaries have spoken and they have mutually made a decision to reschedule the talks”.

In a shocking revelation, Pakistan’s Punjab province Law Minister claimed that Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) supremo Maulana Masood Azhar was under “protective custody”.

“We also note that the government of Pakistan is considering to send a special investigation team to India”.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar was scheduled to travel to Islamabad to hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhary on Friday but both the countries announced deferment of the talks with “mutual consent” to “very near future”.

“I am not aware of such arrest”, said MOFA spokesperson Khalilullah Qazi.

The crackdown on the JeM was an “important and positive first step” in the move to bring to justice the Pathankot attack plotters, he said.

The Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed has said that Pakistan and India will not allow terrorists to take them as hostage. But Vikas Swaroop, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said, “We have not received official word on detention of Masood Azhar”. “Prime Minister Modi’s top agenda is terrorism”, he added. “We do not have any information about the arrest of Maulana Masood Azhar, said Swarup”.

In a pre-dawn terror strike on January 2, a group of heavily- armed Pakistani terrorists, suspected to be belonging to the JeM, attacked the Air Force base in Punjab and killed seven Indian security personnel. Meanwhile, Islamabad is said to be planning to set up a team for Pathankot attack’s probe in an attempt to pacify with India.

In a break from the past, the two governments appeared to have coordinated their strategy with Islamabad not going into denial mode with regard to the involvement of Pakistani elements in the attack, and apprehending JeM members.

“Both countries are in touch and new dates for the talks would be finalised soon”, Aziz said at a breakfast meeting here with Chinese scholars, diplomats as well as journalists. Azhar reportedly said that the government’s cracking down on his group would be “very dangerous” for the country.