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India rejects back channel diplomacy
Qureshi, Krishna agree to continue dialogue
New York—Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers met here Sunday to
discuss bilateral relations, which were derailed in the wake of
November 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Both Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Indian counterpart
SM Krishna smiled as they shook hands at the start of the meeting. “I
am shaking hand and I’m shaking it very firmly,” the top Pakistani
diplomat said.
India’s Minister for External Affairs SM Krishna addressing a press
conference after the talks said both the countries agreed to continue
the purposeful negotiations, adding India was intent upon making the
bilateral ties meaningful.
He said India would monitor the action taken by Pakistan against
culprits involved in Mumbai Attacks, adding the elements involved in
the incidents were present in Pakistan.
The extremists present in Pakistan posed a threat to India, he
maintained saying, ‘We have apprised Pak FM of the terror groups
present in Pakistan and he assured us that they would not allow their
soil to be used against India and that strict action would be taken
against Mumbai attacks culprits.’
Balochistan issue was not discussed in the meeting, he said.
Krishna said there were front channels open for diplomacy between the
two countries; accordingly, back channel diplomacy was no more needed.
‘India is against the nuclear proliferation and favours clearing the
world of all nuclear arms,’ Krishna said adding India was not a
signatory of NPT; but it signed an agreement of civil nuclear
technology with the US.
The foreign Ministers’ meeting was preceded by a meeting between the
Foreign Secretaries of the two South Asian countries on Saturday.
Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, Pakistani High Commissioner to New
Delhi, Shahid Malik and senior diplomats assisted Foreign Minister
Shah while Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, Indian Ambassador to
the United Nations Hardeep Singhpuri were part of the Indian side.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Sunday said India had no option
but to hold negotiations with Pakistan as people of both the countries
wanted peace and tranquillity in the region. Talking to a private TV
channel he said, Pakistan wanted better relations with India. There
should be stability and prosperity in the region. Both India-Pakistan
were virtually left behind in the race to progress.
Both the countries should devise a joint strategy to tackle the menace
of poverty in the South Asian region, he said.
Responding to a query he said Pakistan was not involved in any kind of
terrorism; rather it was a victim of terrorism and indulged in a
deadly fight to eliminate the menace from the entire region.
Ahead of the talks, Qureshi said Pakistan was contemplating
appointment of veteran diplomat and former foreign secretary Riaz
Mohammed Khan as its special envoy on Indian affairs amid reports that
Islamabad was mulling back-channel diplomacy.
“Yes, we are considering very senior former diplomat, former foreign
secretary - a gentleman called Riaz Mohammed Khan,” Qureshi said,
referring to reports that Pakistan was to name a special envoy for
informal talks with India.
Earlier, Bashir told a TV channel: “We will certainly not hesitate
from taking action (against Saeed), but we got to have a case which is
legally tenable because if we take a case into court which is a
half-baked case and if the court sets him free, you’ll say
‘collusion’, ‘drama’.”
“No we are not in a mood to collude with terrorists,” he added.
But Krishna, who had an informal chat with Qureshi at a working dinner
of the SAARC foreign ministers here Saturday night, before Sunday’s
encounter made it clear the Mumbai attacks would be the “focal point”
of their talks.—Agencies
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