Cricket in Dubai, talks in Bangkok, firing at LoC: JD(U) on NSA-level talks

New Delhi: Janata Dal(United) leader K. C. Tyagi on Monday said the country has been betrayed by the government with regard to the secret National Security Advisor(NSA) level meeting held in Bangkok at a time when innocent civilians and soldiers are being killed along the Line of Control and the International Border by Pakistani troops.

“Cricket match is taking place in Dubai, talks are taking place in Bangkok, and firing is taking place across border. It seems the country is being betrayed,” Tyagi told ANI here.

“The NSA of Pakistan Sartaz Ajiz has said that they will have talks without discussing the Kashmir issue. We want to raise this issue in the Parliament today whether the Kashmir issue was raised in the NSA-level talks yesterday,” he added.

On Sunday, it was revealed that the National Security Advisors of India and Pakistan had held a secret meeting in Bangkok and discussed a range of issues, including peace and security, terrorism and Jammu and Kashmir.

According to media reports, the meeting was agreed upon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif when they met in Paris last week on the sidelines of COP-21, and Bangkok was chosen as the most convenient location for both sides to have the discussions.

A joint statement issued later said that the foreign secretaries of both countries accompanied the NSAs. The statement said the discussions “covered peace and security, terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir, other issues including tranquility over the Line of Control.”

The discussions reportedly lasted for over four hours and that all subjects having a security dimension, including Jammu and Kashmir, were raised and talked about.

“It was agreed to carry forward the constructive engagement,” the joint statement.

It is also being reported, but yet to be confirmed, that Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj is all set to travel to Pakistan on Tuesday for an Afghanistan-related conference. (ANI)