New Delhi :Pakistan stands exposed in the global arena on the terror issue after it pulled out of NSA-level talks, BJP today said and refuted Congress’ charge that past gains have been dealt a setback.
The ruling party said that a “strong” government did the “right diplomacy” with Pakistan by making its past practice of meeting Hurriyat leaders as “mission impossible”.
“Our government has further exposed Pakistan’s stand on terror in the global arena…. The government has done the right diplomacy and what used to be common practice in the past has today become ‘mission impossible’,” BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra told PTI.
Terming Pakistan’s decision to call off talks as “extremely unfortunate”, the BJP leader said Pakistan knew that it would stand exposed before the world if it discussed terror.
Congress today charged the NDA government with having played into the hands of Pakistan on the NSA-level talks issue and giving the neighbouring country an opportunity to wriggle out of a dialogue on terror.
“We are very sad that all the gains of the last 10-odd years on Indo-Pak settlement of at least some issues, are given a setback by such aborted talks. No such opportunity should have been given to Pakistan to wriggle out of as serious an issue as terror,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said.
However, Patra said the primary reason why Pakistan cancelled the talks with India was that “it knew very well that it would not be able to face the truth that India would have provided to Pakistan on terror.”
The BJP spokesperson said it was made clear to Pakistan that as per the Shimla agreement between the two countries, there was no scope for any third party intervention in the talks process.
He claimed that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj demolished Pakistan’s claims that there were preconditions led by the Indian dispensation and termed them as “absolutely wrong”.
He added that in the Ufa joint resolution, it was clearly mentioned that the talk would be on terror issue between India and Pakistan.
Another BJP leader Sidhharth Nath Singh said, “Pakistan did not come for NSA talks because the talks were on terror. India has reinforced ‘redline’ drawn in August 2014 before the foreign secretaries talks were called off that there can’t be any talks with the Hurriyat.”
He added, “It shows the determination of the government that the talks will be in the spirit of the (1972) Shimla Agreement and that there is no room for a third party.”
Singh said India has reiterated that talks and terror can’t go together, but talks on terror can be taken up.
Pakistan called off the NSA-level talks with India late on Saturday night and a statement by Pakistan Foreign Office said the proposed talks will not serve any purpose if conducted on the basis of what it called “preconditions” laid by India.
PTI