different channels,” he added.
The adviser said that there was a frank discussion on each other’s concerns.“Pakistan has been deeply concerned, not only about the hostile statements from Indian ministers but also about Indian interference in Pakistan, including continuing support for insurgency in Balochistan. India, on the other hand, has been repeating its traditional accusations of cross border terrorism while overlooking the decisive counter terrorism campaign launched by Pakistan in the past two years,” he pointed out.
To address these acrimonious concerns, the two sides agreed that the national security advisers of the two countries would meet, first in New Delhi and then in Islamabad.
Sartaj Aziz said it remains to be seen how would the national security advisers meetings in Delhi and Islamabad go. These meetings would also focus on how to address the unnecessary rhetoric.
It appears that the Ufa meeting saw Pakistan give benefit of doubt to India as far as moving the UN was concerned. “The decision whether to go to the UN or not would be taken only after meeting between the national security advisers of the two countries,” he explained.
To a query on Daesh, Sartaj Aziz said, “It is a potential problem. The Afghan people are turning to Daesh. In Pakistan it is not a serious problem as there is no large-scale evidence. It should receive more attention. It has extended from the Middle East to South Asia and should be countered.”
Earlier, reading from a written statement, Sartaj Aziz said that the SCO took a unanimous formal decision to admit Pakistan (and India) into the organisation. This organisation can play an important role in shaping a conducive regional environment that would bring peace and prosperity to all the SCO members.
Another major development of historic proportion was the meeting of the prime minister with the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. The two leaders agreed to enhance the bilateral relationship in all spheres, particularly in trade, investment and defence.
“The prime minister’s meeting with President Xi Jinping of China provided a welcome opportunity to review, at the highest level, status of progress made in implementing the decisions taken during President Xi’s landmark visit to Pakistan in April 2015, with regard to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor and other avenues of our multi-faceted cooperation. Pakistan and China are bonded by deep-rooted ties of friendship and all-weather strategic cooperative partnership,” Sartaj Aziz said.
The prime minister also met Ashraf Ghani, President of Afghanistan, to reaffirm the mutual resolve to maintain the upward trajectory of relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.