news details |
|
|
| We can throw ball back in Pakistan court, says India | | |
Dhaka, August 2 Disagreeing that there was a stalemate in the peace talks with Pakistan, India on Wednesday said its endeavour was to ensure that the process was not affected in any manner.
"There is ongoing dialogue between the two countries," Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran told a press conference in Dhaka while disagreeing that there was a stalemate in the peace process.
He made it clear India's endeavour was to make sure through "whatever appropriate actions which are required that peace process does not in any way get affected".
In this context, the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries have decided to remain in touch, Saran said.
On Islamabad's demand that India should provide evidence about linkages of terrorists with Pakistan, he said New Delhi has provided considerable amount of evidence in the past, most recently at the Home Secretary-level talks.
"There are certain actions which could be taken very easily (by Pakistan) to convince people of India that when Pakistan says it is very serious about curbing terrorism it is going to take some action to do that," Saran said.
Referring to Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Saran said everybody knows it is a reincarnation of Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist outfit.
"We have seen him (JuD chief Hafiz Mohammad Sayeed) going around freely in (Pakistan). Jamaat-ud-Dawa continues to profess that it will carry out jihad against India. Hizbul Mujahideen chief (Syed Salahuddin) is also moving freely in Pakistan. Certainly, no effort seems to have been made to arrest them," Saran said.
He said India has openely stated that "we should be able to see some evidence of Pakistan fulfilling the solemn commitment made at the highest level concerning terrorism."
Saran said there was common understanding between India and Pakistan that the peace process is very important and the two countries should try and take it forward.
"This is what people of Pakistan and people India want," he said.
On Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri's statement that the ball was in India's court regarding resumption of composite dialogue, Saran said, "We can get into a long argument on whose court the ball is. We can throw the ball back and forth between the two sides."
He said it was important that the Foregin Secretaries of the two countries had met and agreed to remain in touch.
"We had an opportunity to discuss with certain degree of candour and certain degree of frankness the concerns we (India) had," Saran said referring to cross-border terrorism.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
