Indo-Pak security adviser level talks in jeopardy

NEW DELHI: India on Friday called off National Security Adviser (NSA) level talks with Pakistan, reported the Press Trust of India, but the government-run news agency immediately toned down its rhetoric saying the talks had become "unlikely" after recent developments.

Sartaj Aziz and his Indian counterpart are scheduled to meet in New Delhi for the first time on August 23 to discuss terrorism-related issues.

However, India's External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup on Friday said unilateral imposition of new conditions and "distortion of the agreed agenda cannot be the basis for going forward," after Pakistan officially rejected India's advice of not holding a meeting with separatist Hurriyat leaders in Delhi.

The likelihood of talks between the NSAs on Sunday and Monday appear to be extremely remote, according to the Indian news agency. But neither side was formally calling off the talks.

Responding to India's statement, the Foreign Office in a news release said: "We are deeply disappointed at the statement of the Spokesperson of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, putting forth pre-conditions for official talks to take place with Pakistan at the level of the National Security Advisors."

The Foreign Office said Pakistan's invitation to the Kashmiri Hurriyat leadership to a reception in honour of the Sartaj Aziz on August 23 was an "established practice and tradition" and "sees no reason to depart from it."

"After all, the Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders are genuine stakeholders in efforts to find a lasting solution of the Kashmir dispute."

Pakistan said India's refusal to engage in talks with Pakistan on this pretext was a repeat of what it did when it cancelled foreign secretary level talks in August last year.

Earlier today, Pakistan had conveyed to India it would not cancel Sartaj Aziz's meeting with Hurriyat leaders, according to a statement published on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

The message was conveyed to the Indian High Commissioner by Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry.

Pakistan's reply was in response to the Indian statement on Friday which said that National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz should not hold any meeting with All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) representatives on his visit to India, and termed any such a meeting as "inappropriate".

Pakistan had proposed and conveyed to India a comprehensive agenda, reflecting the broad understanding reached between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian premier Narendra Modi in Ufa, that all outstanding issues, including Kashmir and other disputes, as well as, terrorism issues and other confidence building measures will be discussed between the two countries.

Last year, the Indian government had called off foreign secretary talks after Pakistan had "consulted" with Kashmiri separatists before the talks.

Yesterday in a statement, Foreign Office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah clarified: "there is nothing unusual in such meetings and it has been normal practice for Pakistan to consult Hurriyat leaders prior to high level meeting with India".

The statement came after three Kashmiri separatist leaders were placed under house arrest but were later freed.

The meeting between the two countries' security advisers was supposed to signal the resumption of talks between India and Pakistan.

Since the meeting between the two premiers in July, militant attacks and border skirmishes have poisoned the atmosphere between Islamabad and New Delhi.

The invitation for dialogue came from New Delhi and in the shadow of the July 27 militant attack in Gurdaspur, which some Indian leaders have blamed on Pakistan.