Sharif tries to reach out to India, but talks unlikely to restart soon
India’s tough talk on Thursday on the killing of its soldiers prompted Pakistan to strike a conciliatory note after its initial belligerence, but an early resumption of the bilateral composite dialogue is no longer on the cards.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reached out to India Thursday, saying it was “imperative for both India and Pakistan to take effective steps to restore the ceasefire on the Line of Control”, expressing “sadness” over recent firing incidents. He also emphasised the need for leaders of both nations “not to allow the situation to drift”. But despite the Pakistan PM’s attempts to strike a placatory note, it is unlikely that the secretary- level talks expected to resume at an early date will begin anytime soon, sources said.
Mr Sharif’s remarks came after the stronglyworded statement by defence minister A. K. Antony in Parliament Thursday, where he warned the killing of five Indian soldiers by Pakistan Army commandos would have “consequences on our behaviour” on both the LoC and on India’s relations with Pakistan.
The Pakistani leader also said he was looking forward to his proposed meeting with PM Manmohan Singh at the UN next month; but external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said, when asked if that meeting would still take place, said it was too early to take a call.
It seems unlikely that New Delhi will now show any haste in resuming stalled peace dialogue with Pakistan
Attempting to ease bilateral tensions, Pak PM Nawaz Sharif also said he was looking forward to his proposed meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York in late September. The Pak leader also said that during his meeting with the Indian PM, the two will discuss steps to “build trust and consolidate this relationship”.
Asked if the two PMs would indeed meet, external afairs minister Salman Khurshid said it was not the appropriate time for this query and a call would be taken once all the inputs are in.
While it may be too early to take a call on the SharifSingh meeting, it appears unlikely that New Delhi will now show any haste in resuming the peace dia- logue which was stalled in January 2013 after the beheading of an Indian soldier by a Pakistani “Border Action Team”.
Sending out a positive signal to the Indian government, the new Pak PM also said his country is willing to discuss measures to strengthen existing mechanisms at the political and military levels with India.
It’s noteworthy that the Pak PM’s statement makes no reference to India’s charge that Pak Army troops were involved in the attack and that nothing happens on the LoC without the direct involvement of the Pak Army.