In a strong signal to Pakistan to refrain from meddling in its internal affairs, India has unilaterally called off the August 25 talks between the foreign secretaries of the two countries over the Pakistani envoy’s “unacceptable” invitation to meet separatist leaders of Kashmir.
The unilateral cancellation of the scheduled talks in Islamabad, which aimed at exploring ways to revive the dialogue process, bodes ill for bilateral ties, which started off on a positive note with the visit of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to New Delhi for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May. The talks between Mr Modi and Mr Sharif in Delhi had kindled hopes for improved relations under the new dispensation in New Delhi, with both leaders asking their foreign secretaries to meet and explore ways to take the engagement process forward.
Now, these well-intentioned efforts have been dealt a blow by the ill-conceived adventurism by Pakistan’s High Commissioner Abdul Basit’s meeting with Hurriyat leaders of Kashmir. The meeting with separatist leaders, just a week before the foreign secretaries’ talks, has riled New Delhi, which has chosen to hit back by cancelling the talks.
New Delhi strongly protested the meeting and called it an attempt to interfere in its internal affairs. “At a time when serious initiatives were being undertaken by the Government of India to move bilateral ties forward, including towards the resumption of a regular dialogue process, the invitation to so-called leaders of the Hurriyat by Pakistan’s High Commissioner does indeed raise questions about Pakistan’s sincerity, and shows that its negative approaches and attempts to interfere in India’s internal affairs continue unabated,” said Syed Akbaruddin, spokesperson of India’s external affairs ministry.
The spokesperson said that India’s Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh conveyed to the Pakistan High Commissioner August 18 “in clear and unambiguous terms, that Pakistan’s continued efforts to interfere in India’s internal affairs were unacceptable.”
“It was underlined that the Pakistani High Commissioner’s meetings with these so called leaders of the Hurriyat undermines the constructive diplomatic engagement initiated by Prime Minister Modi in May on his very first day in office.”
New Delhi reminded Islamabad that “the only path available to Pakistan is to resolve outstanding issues through a peaceful bilateral dialogue within the framework and principles of the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration.”
“Therefore, under the present circumstances, it is felt that no useful purpose will be served by the Indian Foreign Secretary going to Islamabad next week. Foreign Secretary’s visit to Islamabad for talks on 25 August stands cancelled.”
In New Delhi, separatist leader Shabbir Shah told journalists in New Delhi after meeting the Pakistani envoy that he hoped that India accepted that Kashmir is a “disputed region” and the talks need to be trilateral rather than being bilateral which were not effective enough till date.
Islamabad defended its high commissioner’s meeting with the so-called Hurriyat leaders and described the Indian decision to call of the talks as a setback. “It is a longstanding practice that, prior to Pakistan-India talks, meetings with Kashmiri leaders are held to facilitate meaningful discussions on the issue of Kashmir,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
“The Indian decision is a setback to the efforts by our leadership to promote good neighbourly relations with India,” it said.
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