While claiming that Islamabad had taken concrete steps in the context of the Mumbai terror attacks, Pakistan High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik today strongly pitched for the resumption of dialogue with New Delhi to address all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing senior defence and civilian officers at the National Defence College here, Malik emphasised that dialogue was the only way to move forward for both India and Pakistan.
It is significant that Malik was invited to address senior officers despite the continuing stand off between India and Pakistan over Islamabad’s approach in dealing with the perpetrators of the Mumbai mayhem.
India is disappointed with Pakistan for not doing anything concrete to punish the plotters of the Mumbai attacks despite having been handed over as many as six dossiers linking elements in the neighbouring country with the 26/11 incidents.
External Affairs Minister SM Krishna reflected India’s growing frustration with Islamabad again today in a statement issued today by the External Affairs Ministry to highlight its achievements during the first 100 days of the UPA regime.
“We do believe that it is in our vital interest to engage and normalise our relations with Pakistan. At the same time we are very clear that any meaningful dialogue with Pakistan can only be based on fulfillment of its commitment, in letter and spirit, not to allow its territory to be used in any manner for terrorist activities against India,” Krishna said.
He also firmly told Islamabad that steps to address the issue of terrorism would be in the interest of bilateral relationship and also in the interest of Pakistan.
It is becoming quite clear that the resumption of bilateral dialogue anytime in the near future is quite a distance away. Malik had recently met Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and invited her to visit Islamabad for talks with her counterpart Salman Bashir ahead of the talks between the foreign ministers of the two countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meet.
But India has ruled out a visit by the Foreign Secretary to Islamabad though the meeting between Krishna and Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi is on as of now. New Delhi does not have high expectations from this meeting either.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani envoy, in his address, said his country was committed to serving as an anchor of peace and stability in the region. Pakistan was taking resolute action to eliminate terrorism and militancy. It was a regional issue and required a regional solution.
Malik also referred to the Sharm el Sheikh joint statement issued by the Prime Ministers of the two countries, in which they acknowledged that dialogue was the only way forward to discuss all outstanding issues.
No comments:
Post a Comment