No room for third party vis-a-vis Pakistan: India

Sambad English Bureau Published On : Mar 23, 2015 at 8:47 PM

New Delhi, March 2:

On a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on Pakistan Day and said “all outstanding issues can be resolved through bilateral dialogue”, India on Monday made it clear that there was no place for any third party while dealing with issues with Islamabad.

Superstars Yash, Rakshit Shetty cast their votes, underline importance of polling

SC dismisses pleas seeking mandatory EVM-VVPAT tally

The firm dismissal of third party involvement comes a day after Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Omar Farooq met Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit here.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said the only way forward vis-a-vis Pakistan was a peaceful bilateral dialogue.

He was answering a query about remarks of Basit in which the Pakistan envoy apparently said the Indian government did not object to his meetings with Hurriyat leaders.

Basit on Sunday met Farooq, the leader of moderate section of Hurriyat. He earlier met Hurriyat hard-line leader Syed Ali Geelani.

Speaking on the sidelines of Pakistan national day event here, Basit on Monday urged the media not to make an issue out of a non-issue.

However, Akbaruddin said there should be no scope of misunderstanding about India’s stance on resolving outstanding issues with Pakistan.

“Having repeated it on so many occasions, there should be no scope for misunderstanding or misrepresenting India’s position on the role of the so-called Hurriyat,” he said.

Akbaruddin said there were only two parties on India-Pakistan issues and there was no place for a third party.

“The only way forward to proceed on all outstanding issues is a peaceful bilateral dialogue within the framework of Simla Agreement and Lahore Declaration,” he said.

Hurriyat Conference leaders and some other separatist leaders in Jammu and Kashmir are expected to attend the Pakistan Day function on Monday evening.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said Pakistan can call whoever it wants on its national day.

Last year, India called off foreign secretary level talks with Pakistan after the Pakistani envoy here met Kashmiri separatist leaders, ignoring India’s request not to do so.

(IANS)