Pakistan Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Wednesday accused India of “avoiding” a dialogue with Pakistan as it would mean having to negotiate issues like Kashmir.
Contradicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent statement in which he placed the onus of the stalled bilateral talks on Pakistan, Mr. Aziz said Pakistan was not refraining from talks with its neighbour.
He said Pakistan had plans for extensive talks with India on issues such as Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, economic cooperation, trade, visas and the detaining of fishermen, among others.
According to a Radio Pakistan report, Mr. Aziz went on to say that the Indian Army had rejected an earlier agreement on Siachen between the two governments, as they had “stakes” in the glacier. The adviser had earlier said he was doubtful of progress towards normalisation of ties, and suggested that the situation be managed to prevent tensions.
In a recent TV interview, Mr. Modi had said that due to his diplomatic efforts, the world had seen that India was not reluctant to engage with Pakistan.
“Our approach has created difficulties for Pakistan, and they find it hard to respond on the matter in the international community,” he had said.
