Pakistan said on Monday there can be no talks with India if the Kashmir
issue is not part of the agenda even as it called on the Indian side to
provide more evidence to conclude the trial of Pakistani suspects
charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks.Sartaj Aziz, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s advisor on national security and foreign affairs, said: "I can assure you no dialogue will take place (with India) unless Kashmir is on the agenda." He told a news briefing in Islamabad that Pakistan will make no compromise on the “core issue”.
Aziz’s remarks came three days after the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan met in Russia and agreed on several steps to take forward stalled bilateral ties, including meetings of top security officials and measures to expedite the trial of the seven Pakistani men charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks, including Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
Sharif had been widely criticised by Pakistan’s opposition parties because the Kashmir issue was not mentioned in the joint statement issued after the talks.
Sources in Islamabad said Aziz’s remarks on the Kashmir issue were aimed at deflecting the criticism. The sources said the two sides had agreed to take up the Kashmir issue through backchannel Track II diplomacy.
Aziz said the meeting of the Prime Ministers in the Russian city of Ufa “was not the formal start of any dialogue process” but it had helped achieve an understanding that both sides must reduce tensions and hostility to constructively engage in a “structured dialogue on all issues of bilateral and regional interest, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir”.
“Kashmir of course tops the list of outstanding issues, but there are also other important issues like Siachen, Sir Creek, interference and water,” he told the news briefing.
The Kashmiris’ “right to self-determine their destiny has not been granted” and Pakistan will continue to “extend political, moral, and diplomatic support to our Kashmiri brethren”, he added.
He said the two sides had “agreed to revive Track II dialogue to explore ways of resolving issues that are lingering for a long time and need to be resolved in order to give peace a chance”.
Referring to the trial of the Pakistani suspects linked to the Mumbai attacks, Aziz said Pakistan needs “more evidence and information to conclude the trial”. “The reference to 'additional information' is a recognition of the need that more information is needed to expedite the trial,” he added.
Aziz said Sharif had sought information “on the progress made on the trial of Samjhauta Express terrorist incident” during his talks with Modi.
Other issues that were discussed during the meeting are bilateral trade and peace and tranquillity on the Line of Control and international border. The meeting provided an opportunity to identify areas where the two sides can cooperate to reduce tensions.
Both Prime Ministers agreed the existing mechanism of regular meetings between the heads of the BSF and Pakistan Rangers and Directors General of Military Operations should be held to “ensure full compliance with the 2003 ceasefire” on the frontiers in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Prime Minister Modi shared the over-arching vision of our Prime Minister that peaceful and good neighbourly relations between Pakistan and India are imperative to create the necessary space in which both countries should focus on the economic welfare of their peoples,” Aziz said.
“The July 10 meeting served to achieve one major objective, ie reduce tensions and create environment for meaningful talks on all issues of importance to both countries.”
Aziz said Pakistan was “deeply concerned not only about hostile statements from Indian ministers but also about Indian interference in Pakistan, including continuing support for insurgency in Balochistan”.
He added that the two sides agreed that the National Security Advisers would meet, first in New Delhi and then in Islamabad, to address these acrimonious concerns.
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