Swaraj meets GCC ministers, pushes India-GCC Free Trade Agreement

In a strong rebuttal of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s speech and his four-point suggestion, External Affairs Minister SUshma Swaraj on Friday said India has only point-stop terrorism- before holding talks between the two nations. In a world that continues to be dominated by wealthy and influential nations, the notion of sovereign equality of the UN has permitted the developing world to question a few unfair norms. In PrimeMinister address, that was given from an identical platform she told Islamabad that a one-point programme was enough to turn around India-Pakistan relations: sit down in the negotiating table and give up terrorism.

“When we ask ourselves whether we have been able to prevent conflicts taking place in several parts of the world, the answer is no”, she added.

Asking India to give up its “belligerent policies”, Sharif said, “Sooner or later India will have to come round to the Pakistani point of view which calls for resolution of all issues through dialogue“. “How can we have a Security Council which still does not give place as a permanent member to Africa and Latin America?”, she said.

However, Swaraj added that the United Nations had not kept up with new challenges, especially in the areas of peace and security.

He said the two countries need to adopt a balanced approach on all issues as hostility spread over almost 70 years has not produced any positive results.

At the meeting here on Wednesday, Swaraj called for the early finalisation of the India-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement and operationalising the India-GCC Framework Agreement. In this context, she referred to the 26/11 carnage, which was sponsored and controlled from Pakistan as also the latest attack in Udhampur in Jammu where a Pakistani terrorist was caught alive.

Swaraj also paid tribute to the more than 3,300 peace-keepers, including 161 from India who sacrificed their lives in the operations. Even today, about 8,000 Indian military and police personnel are participating in 10 Missions, operating in highly challenging environments. If the response is “serious and credible”, India is prepared to address all outstanding issues through a bilateral dialogue. “By doing so, India seeks to mask its own sponsorship of terrorism in Pakistan“.