Ajit Doval denies saying talks with Pakistan cancelled

BJP hopes Pakistan will show zero tolerance against terrorism

NEW DELHI: Amid uncertainty over talks between India and Pakistan following the attack at the Pathankot airbase, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Monday said that there will be no peace talks with Pakistan until India is satisfied with its investigation of the Pathankot attacks.

However Doval was quick to deny having said that the talks were cancelled and told NDTV we will talk only if Pakistan takes action. Doval was quoted as saying that the foreign secretary-level talks that were to be held later this week stood cancelled. “Indo-Pak secretary-level meeting scheduled to be held on January 15 has also been cancelled,” he was quoted as saying in an interview.

Last week when asked if the talks would continue as scheduled, Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarap said: “As far as we are concerned the ball is now in Pakistan’s court. The immediate issue in front of us is Pakistan’s response to the terrorist attack and the actionable intelligence provided to it.” — Online

Meanwhile, India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expressed the hope that Pakistan would follow zero tolerance against terrorism following the Pathankot airbase attack.

BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said that there was no tolerance for terrorism in the international community and added that Islamabad was under immense pressure from the world as no one was ready to compromise on the issue.

“We hope Pakistan will follow zero tolerance against terrorism and will act against those extremists attacking India from Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is very worried about the whole incident and has asked Pakistan to probe the issue. Pakistan has pressure from the whole world as no one is ready to compromise on the issue of terrorism,” he told ANI.

Reiterating similar sentiments, BJP Secretary Shrikant Sharma said that Prime Minister Modi has asked his Pakistani counterpart for proper investigation in the Pathankot terror attack.