Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit to meet new foreign secretary S Jaishankar to revive talks

[Bang Galore]

NEW DELHI: Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit will call on foreign secretary S Jaishankar next week to explore the possibility of relaunching the bilateral dialogue that was suspended by India last year after the envoy met separatist Hurriyat leaders.

Although officials in the Pakistan government told ET that Basit will make a courtesy call on the new foreign secretary, there are expectations in some quarters that talks could be revived as new secretary could suggest ideas to government to relaunch talks.

The Sharif government has been sending feelers over the past few months to restart the dialogue, officials said, even as India has maintained that talks can only be held in an atmosphere free of violence and after Pakistan takes action against terrorists operating from its soil.

India has shown no interest in reviving talks since August last year, with Modi only exchanging greetings with Sharif at the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu.

According to a section of observers, India-Pakistan talks could restart after PDP and BJP officially get together to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir. Some members of the PDP are reportedly in favour of talks with Pakistan.

Pakistan's former national security adviser Major General (retired) Mahmud Durrani, who met both NSA Ajit Kumar Doval and Jaishankar this week may have brought a message from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a person familiar with the matter said.

Durrani held several meetings in Delhi this week in what many believe could have been backchannel efforts to normalise relations between the two countries.

Experts, however, refused to read much into Durrani's engagements in Delhi. While Durrani may have brought some message from Pakistan government like others in subcontinent who come to Delhi as emissaries, the former Pakistan NSA is close to the Pakistan People's Party and incurred wrath of the army after the Mumbai attacks when he had agreed to send then ISI chief to India, an expert pointed out.

Both Indian officials and Pakistan High Commission officially dismissed the speculation that Durrani had come with an aim to revive the dialogue.

Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit to meet new foreign secretary S Jaishankar to revive talks - Economic Times

 

[unbiasedopinion]

And TV news channel reporting fresh firing from pakistan on Indian border posts...and this cycle keep on running like this..

 

[alpha q]

I thought Pakistan was not interested in talking with our poor India. Sirf hawa mein baat karalo Pak se.

 

[SrNair]

Lol
Then why do they keep telling that we wont start dialogue.?What happened to the boasting of Nawaz?

 

[third eye]

Lol
Then why do they keep telling that we wont start dialogue.?What happened to the boasting of Nawaz?

Diplomacy & nation running like life is not black & white.

There are shades of grey in between, to achieve a larger aim smaller ones need to be created, evaluated & re aligned.

Politicians meanwhile have to play to their galleries all the time .

 

[WAR-rior]

Damn. Pakistani Civilian govt acts so confused. Wass their issues? Lack of experience or lack of independence and autonomy from other powerful institutions? Kuchh samajh nahi aa raha what they wanna do or say.

 

[OrionHunter]

Talks ok but under the following conditions :

> Pakistan must stop its proxy war against India with the help of its 2-rupee mercenaries.
> Stop ceasefire violations to provide covering fire to infiltrate terrorists into J&K.
> Stop molly coddling the lame duck Hurriyat which has no credibility in Kashmir, let alone in Pak Occupied Kashmir.
> Stop trying to keep internationalizing Kashmir at the drop of a hat, despite the world community caring two hoots for this dead issue.
> Try and be more cooperative on issues concerning SAARC. They seem to be the odd man out as they constantly try and scuttle SAARC agreements.

If Pakistan does not agree to the above, then India doesn't care a fig. India is moving on.....