Pakistan says talks with India suspended, hints wont allow NIA visit

[Sohail Shuja]

Pakistan says talks with India suspended, hints won’t allow NIA visit

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, New Delhi| Updated: Apr 08, 2016 00:59 IST

Pakistani envoy Abdul Basit said on Thursday the dialogue with India is suspended as there are no plans for the foreign secretaries to meet, while hinting that the NIA will not be given access to JeM chief Masood Azhar for the probe into the Pathankot attack.The assault on the Pathankot airbase, blamed on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, disrupted fresh efforts to place troubled bilateral ties on an even keel and Basit’s remarks reflected a new low in the diplomatic impasse.


The arrest of alleged RAW agent Kulbhushan Jadhav in Balochistan also triggered a row between the two sides. China’s decision last week to block India’s move at the UN to designate Azhar a terrorist has added to tensions. “I would say the dialogue is suspended,” Basit said during an interaction at the Foreign Correspondents Club, responding to a question on the status of the comprehensive dialogue announced by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistan’s foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz last December.


“There is no meeting scheduled between the foreign secretaries... Let’s see if we are able to commence the dialogue process,” he said.
Basit created a stir by saying a Pakistani joint investigation team’s (JIT) visit to India to probe the Pathankot attack was not based on reciprocity — the complete opposite of what external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said several times though the day.


“The visit of the Pakistan JIT was not based on reciprocity, but on a spirit of cooperation,” Basit said when asked whether an NIA team would be allowed to visit Pakistan.


Asked specifically if this meant Pakistan wouldn’t allow the NIA to visit, he said, “You can draw your own conclusions.”
Pakistan has said there is no evidence against the JeM chief. An Indian move at the UN Security Council to designate Azhar a terrorist was blocked by Pakistan’s close ally China, which said more evidence is needed. China has also blocked previous attempts to sanction Azhar.


The NIA wants to send a team to Pakistan to question the JeM chief and his brother Rauf Azhar for their alleged role in the Pathankot attack. Swarup said the Pakistani JIT’s visit was on a reciprocal basis. Indian officials said Basit’s statement went against the terms of reference for the JIT’s visit. “The work of the JIT in India was as per the terms of reference that were agreed between the two governments through their respective foreign offices. They are on reciprocal basis and in accordance with existing legal provisions,” Swarup said.




Any Pakistani decision not to allow a visit by an NIA team would give the Opposition an opportunity to target the government for giving the green signal to the trip by the Pakistani team, which included an ISI operative.

On Basit’s remarks that the peace process stands “suspended”, Swarup referred to the press conference of Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria in which he said, “… Both countries are in contact and it has been reiterated from both sides that modalities are being worked out. I will again state that negotiations are the best means to resolve the issues.”


Government sources said if Basit’s comments reflected a shift in the Pakistan government’s policy, this should have been “conveyed to India through appropriate channels”.


A source said: “This should have been conveyed through Pakistan’s Foreign Office, rather than the envoy’s statement to the media.”
The sources said the only contact between the two sides was at the level of the national security advisers and there is no proposal for a meeting between the foreign secretaries in the near future.


Basit spoke on several other issues, including the arrest of the alleged RAW operative and the Kashmir issue.
“The recent arrest of Kulbhushan (Jadhav) in Pakistan irrefutably corroborates what Pakistan has been saying all along. We all are aware of those who seek to create unrest in Pakistan and destabilise the country,” he said.


India and Pakistan, he said, should be “realistic” about the Kashmir issue and attempts to put it on the backburner will be counterproductive.
“It is the Jammu and Kashmir dispute that is the root cause of mutual distrust and other bilateral issues. Therefore, its fair and just resolution, as per the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, is imperative.”


Basit said there could not be any “short cut to achieving a lasting peace”. He added, “Nor does cherry-picking work. What we need is to engage uninterruptedly, comprehensively, and meaningfully.”

SOURCE: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...abdul-basit/story-ideKAtLQVZB3GpMz55Jd9H.html

 

[Sohail Shuja]

Nuclear restraint: Pakistan ready to discuss measures with India: FO

Pakistan said Thursday that it has taken note of US President Barack Obama's call on both India and Pakistan to work together to ensure that their military doctrines do not move in the wrong direction and also expressed readiness to discuss arms control and restraint measures with India. Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria told his weekly press briefing that maintenance of peace and stability in South Asia is the cornerstone of Pakistan's policy and it is opposed to nuclear or conventional arms race in the region.

He pointed out that Pakistan's nuclear capability is solely for self-defense and it is committed to credible minimum deterrence. He said there is an increased understanding at the international level of Pakistan's genuine concerns regarding rapidly growing Indian conventional and nuclear capabilities and their offensive force postures and military doctrines such as 'Cold Start Doctrine.'

"Pakistan remains ready to discuss arms control and restraint measures with India. Our proposal for Strategic Restraint Regime (SRR) can provide a basis for mutually agreed restraint measures and avoidance of unnecessary arms race in the region," he said, adding we believe that the limited resources of Pakistan and India should be channelled to meeting the social needs of our people.

He said that the 4th Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in Washington was a significant event, especially from Pakistan's perspective. "Our constructive engagement in the process has helped in highlighting Pakistan's strong national nuclear security regime, command and control system, rigorous regulatory regime and comprehensive export controls, which have been appreciated at the international level," he added. He pointed out that Pakistan has been running a safe, secure and safeguarded civil nuclear programme for more than 42 years. We have the expertise, manpower and infrastructure to produce civil nuclear energy, he added.

He said the NSG is still deliberating upon the issue of membership for non-NPT states and Pakistan has strong credentials for full integration in the multilateral export control arrangements, including the NSG and we are confident that we will be able to qualify any principle-based, objective and non-discriminatory criteria developed for this purpose.

To a question about India's request for consular access to arrested Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav, he said that the request for consular access is under consideration. However, he added that there is an agreement on consular matters between the two countries and the request would be considered in view of the relevant clauses of the agreement. He further said that the investigations with Yadav are in process and based on the confessional statement, Pakistan's law enforcement agencies are making every effort to apprehend all individuals involved in subversive activities in Pakistan.

"Pakistan remains concerned at the subversive activities of RAW against Pakistan and Pakistan's interests from various locations in the region. We believe in living in a friendly and peaceful environment with all our neighbours, which can lead to the betterment of our peoples," he added. About the Joint Investigation Team's (JIT) recent visit to India, he said the investigations are underway and the JIT is evaluating the information shared by the Indian side.

About Iran's cooperation with regard to RAW's activities, he said that Iranian President during his visit to Pakistan had said that 'security of Pakistan is security of Iran and security of Iran is security of Pakistan'. "Iran has assured that its soil will never be allowed to be used against Pakistan," Zakaria said.

He further said that there is a Special Security Committee between Pakistan and Iran comprising Interior Secretaries of the two countries where the two countries discuss the issues related to each other's security. Besides, there is also a Higher Border Commission as well as Joint Border Commission, he said, adding the military and security authorities of the two countries also have regular exchanges and cooperation.

He rejected the impression that the Iranian President's visit is jeopardised by the arrest of the Indian spy, adding the visit was very satisfactory from our point of view as well as from the Iranian perspective. "The timings and announcements [of Yadav's arrest] were not designed on purpose. If you are looking for a reason, one could find fault with the announcement even if it was made before or after the visit," he asserted.

Asked to comment on expanding ties between Saudi Arabia and India, the spokesperson declined to comment, saying "We do not comment on bilateral relations between two sovereign countries". He further said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have timeless brotherly relations.

Commenting on the Afghan President's accusations, he said Pakistan has been engaged in sincere and consistent efforts for promoting lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan. "We have been making serious efforts to facilitate an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process. We believe that a politically negotiated settlement is the most viable option for bringing lasting peace to Afghanistan," he said, adding Pakistan's commitment and support for Afghanistan's peace, progress and prosperity remains unflinching. He further said that Pakistan has time and again emphasised that bringing Taliban and others to negotiation table is not just Pakistan's responsibility and all the four members of QCG have a joint commitment to the peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. "We have also advised that the blame game would only benefit those averse to peace and stability in Afghanistan. Pakistan's stakes in peace and stability in Afghanistan are higher than others," he added.

About direct talks between Afghan government and the Taliban, he said the Quadrilateral Co-ordination Group (QCG) had earlier decided that the next QCG meeting would take place in Islamabad immediately after the first round of direct peace talks for which efforts are underway by the QCG countries. The QCG countries can mutually decide to convene the next meeting of the Group as and when needed, he said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2016
Source: http://www.brecorder.com/top-stories/0/33351/