National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Monday said that there will be no talks between the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan on January 15, and that India "will talk only if Pakistan takes action" on the perpetrators of Pathankot airbase attack.
In remarks to ANI news service, the NSA reportedly clarified that no date had been confirmed for the talks, so they were not being cancelled, but added in a conversation with NDTV news channel on Monday morning that talks will happen only if Pakistan takes action.
The flurry of comments and clarifications from the NSA and the PMO followed the publication of an interview by Hindi newspaper
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“We have only one policy. Until Pakistan takes action on the perpetrators of Pathankot [airbase attack] and India is not satisfied, there will be no peace talks. That is why we have cancelled the India Pakistan Secretary-level talks to be held in Lahore on January 15. Now, no talks before [Pakistani] action,” Mr. Doval was quoted as having said in the interview which contained a defence of the Air Force and forces involved in the Pathankot airbase operation.
The PMO denied that the NSA had given any such interview, however The Dainik Bhaskar, in its website , uploaded a clip of the portion on the talks.
The comments by the NSA about no dates being set for the talk are in stark contrast to Pakistani Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz's comments. He had told the Pakistan Parliament on Friday, and in subsequent media interactions, that the Foreign Secretaries would meet as scheduled on January 15.
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