On Monday, in a statement calling for Foreign Secretary-level talks on Kashmir, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said it was the worldwide obligation of both countries to resolve the issue, notwithstanding India’s insistence that it would talk on contemporary and relevant issues in bilateral relations.
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He said while all Saarc nations agree on moving forward over various issues for regional development but Pakistan’s support to terrorism has made the country a hard regional partner. “During one such assault, a Pakistani terrorist was also caught, which clearly shows (Pak) involvement”, said the Foreign Secretary.
The ministry of foreign affairs is reviewing India’s response.
Hinting towards the current phase of unrest in Kashmir, that erupted after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani resulting 66 deaths of unarmed civilians, blinding more than 300 and around 7000 injured persons by the Indian Army forces, the High Commissioner said,”I deeply regret that our requests for access have not been granted”.
Aizaz Chaudhry had in his letter “highlighted the global obligations of Pakistan and India with regards to resolving the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions”.
Pakistan has been denouncing use of sheer force against the people who are demanding right to self-determination, as per the UN Security Council resolutions.
“The whole world knows Kashmir is not India’s internal matter”, he added. For Pakistan, Kashmir is the core issue and its solution through dialogue between Pakistan and India is a must in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people and the United Nations’ resolutions.
Our foreign secretary would formally be writing to his counterpart in this regard. “The closest to officialdom is a tweet by All India Radio [email protected], which said, “# India accepts # Pakistan’s invitation for foreign secretary level talks between two countries”.
Talking about Pakistan’s offer for talks on Kashmir, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday told a rally in IHK that “going to Pakistan is the same as going to hell”. “We have also conveyed that the Government of India rejects in their entirety the self-serving allegations regarding the situation in J&K, which is an integral part of India”, a source said on India’s response to Pakistan’s proposal.
The sign of peace comes, after 40 days of violent protests in Indian-ruled Kashmir.
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“Lack of progress on probe into Pathankot attacks, challenges faced in the last few weeks along with cross border attack and infiltration.while rest of the region in SAARC is with India in wanting a much more cooperative and connected South Asia, a standout country’s view and attitude towards terrorism as an instrument of policy of diplomacy makes it a hard partner in the region”, said Jaishankar. When the spokesman at theForeign Office was asked about the role of backdoor diplomacy, he did not reject the notion altogether but said, “We do not comment on media reports”.
