India walks out of FM-level talks

Mariana Baabar

By Monitoring report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Saturday said India had trampled all democratic norms and wasted a serious opportunity to normalise relations by cancelling foreign minister level talks.

It termed the move 'arrogant' and ‘ill-considered’. There was anger in Pakistan which saw quick responses from Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the Foreign Office.

The Modi government 'flip-flopped' and after first announcing that it had accepted a proposal by Prime Minister Imran Khan for the two foreign ministers to meet in New York announced within hours that the talks had been cancelled.

Sadly, while canceling the New York meeting, the Modi government stooped too low and unnecessarily attacked the person of prime minister, to which Pakistan responded that it chose not to further comment beyond saying that these comments were against all norms of civilised discourse and diplomatic communication

Prime Minister Imran Khan reacted sharply to India's decision and tweeted, "Disappointed at the arrogant & negative response by India to my call for resumption of peace dialogue. However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture". Despite cancellation of talks, Pakistan is not giving up and insists it will persist with its quest for peace and development, based on its principles and the dictates of national dignity.

In fact, Pakistan took a step forward and said it would be prepared to conduct a joint investigation to establish the truth of allegations that an Indian soldier had been tortured.

Friday saw New Delhi burning the bridges towards peace in the region, when the India Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, announcing cancellation of talks, cited "unclean intentions" on Pakistan's side.

He said the cancellation was due to the "latest brutal killings of our security personnel by Pakistan-based entities and the recent release of a series of twenty postage stamps by Pakistan glorifying a terrorist and terrorism".

"It is obvious that behind Pakistan's proposal for talks to make a fresh beginning, the evil agenda of Pakistan stands exposed and the true face of new prime minister of Pakistan has been revealed to the world in his first few months in the office," the Indian statement said.

Before boarding a flight to New York on Saturday, where he will represent Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said he was "deeply saddened" by how New Delhi first accepted and later backtracked from a meeting between the two foreign ministers.

"I was deeply saddened by how India first accepted our goodwill gesture and then backtracked. The Indian government had to look for reasons to justify cancelling the meeting after initially agreeing to it, and New Delhi has used the issue of stamps of Kashmiri freedom fighters as an excuse", he said. He said it was inappropriate on India's part to state a development from July (the issuance of stamps) as the reason to cancel the meeting that was due to take place in September.

"It was an opportunity which I think India's domestic circumstances did not allow to materialise," the foreign minister said.

"There is no precedent of how diplomatic norms were trampled by India in the cancellation of the meeting", he added.

Earlier, the Foreign Office in a well detailed and sophisticated response said the reasons cited by the Indian side for the decision to cancel the foreign ministers' meeting, within 24 hours of its public confirmation, were entirely unconvincing.

The so-called "disturbing developments" alluded to in the Indian statement predated the Indian agreement to hold the bilateral meeting in New York.

"Firstly, the alleged killing of BSF soldier took place two days prior to the Indian announcement of its agreement to hold the bilateral meeting. When the allegations of Pakistan's involvement first appeared, the Pakistan Rangers clearly conveyed to BSF through official channels that Pakistan had nothing to do with it. Pakistan Rangers also extended help in efforts to locate the soldier's body. These facts were known to the Indian authorities and a part of the Indian media also reported that Pakistan had refuted its involvement. Yet, this motivated and malicious propaganda continued. Pakistan takes this opportunity to categorically reject these allegations once again. Our authorities would be prepared to conduct a joint investigation to establish the truth", the statement added.

Secondly, the Foreign Office clarified, the postage stamps mentioned in the Indian statement were issued before July 25, 2018 elections, as a result of which the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan assumed office.

"The stamps highlight the gross and systematic human rights violations in Indian Held Kashmir, which were extensively documented also in a comprehensive report issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as late as June 2018. By falsely raising the canard of "terrorism", India can neither hide its unspeakable crimes against the Kashmiri people nor can it delegitimise their indigenous struggle for their inalienable right to self-determination", said the statement.

Most unfortunate is the reference in the Indian MEA statement to the person of the prime minister of Pakistan.

"We choose not to further comment beyond saying that these comments are against all norms of civilised discourse and diplomatic communication", it added.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had, in his first public comments after his electoral success, outlined a forward-looking vision of Pakistan-India relations.

He had clearly stated that if India took one step forward, Pakistan would take two.

In the same spirit, Prime Minister Imran Khan in his reply letter endorsed Prime Minister Modi's call for "constructive engagement" and proposed a meeting of the two foreign ministers in New York to discuss a way forward on bilateral and Saarc-related matters.

"We believe by its ill-considered cancellation of the meeting, India has once again wasted a serious opportunity to change the dynamics of bilateral relationship and put the region on the path of peace and development", added the statement.

Pakistan has always desired peaceful and good-neighbourly relations with India on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit. In our view, dialogue and diplomacy are the only constructive ways forward for the two countries to address mutual concerns, rebuild trust, resolve longstanding disputes, and establish durable peace in South Asia.

Meanwhile, Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat Saturday said India needs to take a stern action against Pakistan, the Indian media reported.

General Rawat talked to journalist after an Indian soldier's body was found on the border with Pakistan. However, he did not explain who had killed the BSF man.

Extending support to Indian government's decision to call off foreign minister level talks with Pakistan in New York on UNGA sidelines, General Rawat said talks and terrorism can't go hand-in-hand.

"I think our govt's policy has been quite clear and concise. We've made no bones about the fact that talks and terrorism can't go hand in hand. Pakistan needs to curb menace of terrorism," he added.