Wani to India was a separatist and a terrorist and to Pakistan a freedom fighter.
Advertisement
The sharp exchanges have come after a seeming thaw in relations in December when Modi made an unscheduled visit to Lahore-the first by an Indian prime minister in a decade-to meet Sharif.
Later Wednesday, an Indian Embassy representative in Islamabad handed over a letter to the Pakistani government reaffirming that New Delhi would be prepared to discuss “current and relevant” concerns but not Kashmir, which is part-ruled by the two nuclear-armed neighbors. When one of the reporters questioned him over his blunder, Digvijay Singh clarified and said that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India only.
Nafees Zakaria said Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry is in Germany for regular bilateral political consultations. “People of Balochistan, Gilgit and PoK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) have thanked me a lot in past few days, I am grateful to them”, Modi had said.
Pakistan last month had requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to send a fact-finding mission to Kashmir to report on the “gross violations of human rights” since July 8.
Foreign Office sources told Daily Times that Jaishankar mentioned in his reply that India was ready for secretary-level talks with Pakistan on the condition that cross-border terrorism and infiltration would be on the agenda. And Pakistan’s offer over the weekend to send relief supplies to people in Kashmir annoyed India further.
“These acts were initially denied by the Government of Pakistan and attributed to local population, only to be admitted later by Pakistan’s leaders who directed and organised such cross-border attacks on India, and assaults on the local people”, he said.
On the other hand, Pakistan has always raked up the Kashmir issue globally and spoken about the alleged rights violations in India’s only Muslim-majority state.
“We have made great efforts to reach out to Pakistan and find common ground”.
Swarup also hit back at Islamabad’s “red lines crossed” comment and said, “Pakistan recognises no red lines in conduct of its own diplomacy”.
Advertisement
‘At this time it includes a stoppage of Pakistani support for cross-border terrorism, infiltration of terrorists like Bahadur Ali, incitement to violence and terrorism across the border, parading of internationally-recognised terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Syed Salahuddin, and a honest follow-up on the Mumbai attack trial and the Pathankot attack investigation in Pakistan’. And this is not just India’s view. In an all party meet, Modi had said that Pakistan would have to answer to the world about the atrocities carried out by its armed forces in both regions.
