Pak says NSA-level talks can not take place on India’s pre-conditions

“Pakistan, therefore, reiterates that the scheduled NSA level talks can not be held on the basis of the preconditions set by India”.

A couple of hours later, Ms Swaraj held a press conference here, making it very clear that Mr Aziz, who is also the Adviser to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Foreign Affiars, was welcome in New Delhi if Pakistan could give an assurance by midnight tonight that the talks would be confined to the issue of terrorism.

She contended Pakistan was “running away” from the talks as India has caught a Pakistani terrorist alive after the Udhampur attack.

The Pakistan Foreign Office said in its statement that, while Ms Swaraj accepted that, to ensure durable peace between the two countries, there was a need to discuss all outstanding issues through a sustained dialogue process, started in 1998 as Composite Dialogue and renamed as Resumed Dialogue in 2011, she then unilaterally restricted the agenda to only two items: creating an atmosphere free from terrorism and tranquility on the LoC. Foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted: “Pakistan’s decision is unfortunate”.

Ending the suspense, Pakistan on Saturday night called off the Indo-Pak NSA-level talks, hours after India made it clear that discussions on Kashmir and a meeting with separatists will not be acceptable.

“We only reiterated that Pakistan respect the spirit of the Simla & Ufa Agreements to which it was already committed”, he said.

“We have come to the conclusion that the proposed NSA level talks between the two countries would not serve any objective, if conducted on the basis of the two conditions laid down by the minister”, the statement said. “He did not read the operative part, which said there will be three meetings – between the NSAs to discuss terrorism, talks between the DG BSF and Pakistani Rangers, and between the DGMOs”.

Earlier, Pakistan called off the NSA-level talks scheduled to take place on August 24, stating that the meeting can not be held on the conditions laid down by Sushma Swaraj.

“Aziz said that he is waiting for my press conference”.

He said Swaraj by this “ridiculous statement has shown that she lacks information on Kashmir and we reject her statement”. Paksitan is not agreeable to the clause that the talks will be centric to terrorism only and the Kashmir issue will not be discussed.

The separatists, Yasin Malik, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, have been invited to a reception in Delhi for Pakistan National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz, .

Responding to a question, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said Indian side was continuously violating the ceasefire at Line of Control and Working Boundary, that included above 100 violations by Indian troops in two months.

She said the mandate for the NSA talks was to discuss terrorism related issues only and Aziz should stick to it, and there was no space for the Hurriyat in talks as per the Simla Agreement inked between both countries earlier.

Sushma Swaraj, in her press conference, said Aziz has to remain within the agenda agreed to at Ufa, Russia, on July 10 between both their prime ministers. He said that it was also necessary to resolve and discuss those issues which were root causes of terrorism in the region.

Aziz also said they have prepared three dossiers on alleged activities of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in Pakistan and hoped he gets a chance to hand over them to his Indian counterpart. “If he gives dossiers, we will give him a zinda aadmi”, she said.