India’s Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, held
informal talks in New Delhi on Tuesday.
India has conveyed to Pakistan that former naval officer Kulbushan Jadhav, arrested on charges of being an Indian spy across the border, was abducted and sought immediate consular access for him claiming that he was taken to Pakistan.
Countering Pakistan’s claim, New Delhi asked that which spy agency would put their agent in the field with an original passport and without a visa.
Spy Talk
The subject came up for discussion along with other key bilateral issues like terrorism and Kashmir on Tuesday when foreign secretaries of the two countries met in New Delhi informally for the first time since their scheduled talks were deferred in the wake of the Pathankot attack in January. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry met for nearly 90 minutes during which Pathankot terror attack probe, 26/11 trial in Pakistan and Samjhauta Express blast investigations figured.
The meeting between Jaishankar and Chaudhry, took place as the Pakistani foreign secretary is in the country to attend the ‘Heart of Asia’ conference.
However, in its statement, Pakistan said it has raised the issue capturing of Jadhav and expressed serious concern over RAW’s alleged involvement in subversive activities in Balochistan and Karachi, a charge which was strongly rebutted by India.
Early progress
India’s Foreign Secretary emphasised the need for early and visible progress on the Pathankot terrorist attack investigation as well as the Mumbai case trial in Pakistan. He also brought up the listing of JeM leader Masood Azhar in the UN 1267 Sanctions Committee. Jaishankar clearly conveyed that Pakistan cannot be in denial on the impact of terrorism on the bilateral relationship. “Terrorist groups based in Pakistan targeting India must not be allowed to operate with impunity,” a statement by the External Affairs Ministry said after the talks.
The Pakistani statement said Chaudhry brought up the issue of Kashmir emphasising that it remained the core issue that requires a just solution in accordance with UNSC resolutions and wishes of Kashmiri people. Interestingly, the Pakistani side released the talking points while the meeting between the two foreign secretaries was still on.
The statement by Pakistan also said, “In line with our PM’s vision of peaceful neighbourhood, the FS underscored Pakistan’s commitment to have friendly relations with all its neighbours/India. All outstanding issues including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute were discussed. Describing the discussions as frank and constructive, India said humanitarian issues including those pertaining to fishermen and prisoners, and people to people contacts including religious tourism were also covered.”
On Samjhauta Express blast, Chaudhry conveyed concerns over efforts by Indian authorities for the release of the prime suspects of the Samjhauta Express blasts. The Foreign Secretary further pointed out that, despite repeated requests India has not shared investigation reports in which 42 Pakistanis had lost their lives.
He also conveyed concern over the environment being created in India for the release of the prime suspects of the Samjhauta Express blasts, the Pakistan High Commission said. The Pakistan High Commission said Chaudhry expressed confidence that building on the goodwill generated by the recent high level contacts, the two countries should remain committed to a sustained, meaningful and comprehensive dialogue process. In this spirit, the Foreign Secretary underscored the need for early commencement of comprehensive dialogue for which the Indian Foreign Secretary’s visit to Pakistan is due, it said.