The much-anticipated talks between the Indian and Pakistani Foreign Secretaries on Tuesday failed to make headway on the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue, with both sides trading allegations.
“Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar conveyed that Pakistan cannot be in denial on the impact of terrorism on the bilateral relationship. Terrorist groups based in Pakistan targeting India must not be allowed to operate with impunity,” a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs told The Hindu after the nearly two-hour meeting on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia Senior Officials Meeting.
The Pakistan delegation, led by Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, alleged that Indian intelligence agencies were responsible for the unrest in Balochistan, and Mr. Jaishankar “firmly rebutted” the charge.
The meeting between Mr. Chaudhry and Mr. Jaishankar was the first after the January 2 Pathankot attack.
It came within weeks of Pakistan High Commissioner saying that the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue was “suspended.”
The discordant notes began playing out minutes after the two sides convened at 11 a.m. at North Block, when the Pakistan officials began releasing details of the meeting and photographs on their official platforms seen as violating diplomatic protocols.
Issues of terrorism and Kashmir kept both sides from taking a common position and there was no joint statement at the end of the meeting. While Pakistan supported the CBD, India made no mention of the dialogue process.
“India’s Foreign Secretary emphasised the need for early and visible progress on the Pathankot terrorist attack investigation as well as the Mumbai case trial in Pakistan,” said a source after the meeting. The strongest comment, however, was made by Pakistan when the visiting Foreign Secretary described Kashmir as the “core issue”, echoing Pakistan’s traditional position on the dispute.
Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary conveyed his country’s concern about developments in the Samjhauta Express blasts case. “The Foreign Secretary also conveyed concerns over the environment being created in India for the release of the prime suspects of the Samjhauta Express blasts. He further pointed out that, despite repeated requests, India has not shared investigation reports in which 42 Pakistanis lost their lives,” said an official of the Pakistan High Commission.
However, a senior MEA official said India resisted Pakistan’s arguments saying the “matter is under investigation.”
The Foreign Secretaries then attended the Heart of Asia Conference of Senior Officials which was attended by Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh and Afghanistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai.
