Pakistan is willing to wait until India is ready for dialogue, High Commissioner Abdul Basit has said, adding that his government “expressed a desire” for a bilateral engagement when Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz visits Amritsar this weekend.
“Some thought the Heart of Asia conference may be the time when the two countries move towards a thaw,” he told The Hindu in an exclusive interaction, on a day India launched a fresh attack on Pakistan over cross-border terrorism. “As happens at these multilateral forum meetings, we had conveyed that our adviser would attend and he made a statement that we are open to ideas [for talks] . As hosts, India will decide our programme,” Mr. Basit said. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said talks could not be held without an end to terror attacks, making a mention of the Nagrota Army base attack in which 7 soldiers were killed this week. “India will never accept continued terrorism as the new normal of the bilateral relationship,” he said, listing the attacks in the recent past that had been “supported and sponsored by Pakistan” as part of a “calculated strategy.”
Pakistan is sending Mr. Aziz to Amritsar to attend the Heart of Asia conference on Afghanistan on December 4, in what will be the first foreign ministerial visit to India in several years. At a press conference on Wednesday as co-chairs of the conference, India and Afghanistan made it clear that they intend to corner Pakistan over the “common problem” of cross-border terrorism both countries face from Pakistan.
Responding to their statement, Mr. Basit said Pakistan also had issues on terrorism and alleged an Indian role in Balochistan, adding that the leadership of the terror group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) lives in Afghanistan.
“We are not worried,” Mr. Basit said of the draft on counter-terrorism being circulated by Afghanistan to the 14-country conference. “We have our own positions on these issues,” he added, saying that the final draft of the declaration was yet to be negotiated. Reacting to India’s contention that Pakistan was “isolated” in the SAARC region for its support to terror groups, the High Commissioner said: “Terrorism is a common challenge, and it is only through a cooperative approach that we can make a difference, not by targeting one country.”
He rejected the idea that the U.S. could mediate between India and Pakistan, as was reportedly suggested during the conversation between President-elect Donald Trump and Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif, in which Mr. Trump offered to “play any role” in solving Pakistan’s problems, according to an official release issued in Islamabad. “At the end of the day, any decision has to be taken by India and Pakistan rather than a third country. We can count on the U.S. and other countries to encourage us. But primarily, decisions lie between New Delhi and Islamabad,” he said.
