Talks on terror can go on, not terror and talks: India

NEW DELHI: Confirming for the first time that NSA Ajit Doval met his Pakistan counterpart Nasir Janjua in Bangkok in December, India said while terror and talks cannot go together, talks on terror can definitely carry on — a formulation that keeps the window for engagement open. The meeting took place days after the visit to Pakistan by the kin of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav.

MEA spokesperson

Raveesh Kumar

said the NSA-level engagement is part of “operationallevel talks" and that while India maintains terror and talks cannot go together, talks on terror can definitely go ahead. Despite its position that there cannot be any substantive dialogue with Pakistan until Islamabad acts against India-specific terror groups, the government has continued to maintain contact through its mission in Islamabad and also the Pakistan mission here. Pakistan high commissioner Sohail Mahmood has had “informal" meetings with Sushma Swaraj and also foreign secretary S Jaishankar in which both sides agreed that some channel of communication should remain open.

The channel of communication has been maintained even though the view in the Indian government is that the prospects of any substantial progress remain weak given the assertive mood of the Pakistan military that engineered the ouster of Nawaz Sharif for defying its views on India and other strategic issues.

Remarks by Pakistan army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa apparently supporting talks have failed to translate into action on the ground when it comes to terror activities along the line of control.

The Pakistan army and the much weakened civilian government are seen to have taken some token measures in response to US threats to cut aid but simultaneously the release from house detention of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed and his ability to deliver speeches invoking hate against India shows that he continues to be a close ally of the Pakistan army and the ISI.

Kumar said the focus of the talks was “cross-border terror” and ways to ensure the elimination of terrorism from the region. “India and Pakistan have a dialogue process and we have said terror and talks cannot go together... There are other dialogue mechanisms like at the DGMO-level or between the BSF and Rangers," he said.