Islamabad: A day after calling off Indo-Pak NSA-level talks, Pakistan today said the meetings between the DGMOs of the two countries and representatives of Pakistan Rangers and BSF will go ahead as agreed in Ufa.
“Yes, Rangers and BSF are going ahead...DGMOs will also talk, but it requires mechanism which goes beyond and suggestions have been made to make sure that some reduction in tension takes place,” Pakistan's National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz said.
“I think Pakistan Rangers-BSF (meeting)...is confirmed for 6th (September). Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) can meet anywhere, they can agree among themselves, whenever they want to meet,” Aziz told CNN-IBN when asked about the dates for the meetings.
Holding India squarely responsible for the cancellation of the NSA talks, Aziz dubbed New Delhi's stand of discussing only terror as a “unilateral decision” and harped that the Ufa objective was to reduce tension for which there was a need to discuss Kashmir.
Aziz said the agreement reached in Ufa between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi was interpreted differently by both the countries.
“We wanted modalities of Kashmir to be discussed. Holding talks on Kashmir will reduce tension. Ufa objective was to reduce tension, so we need to discuss Kashmir, not terror.” Aziz also said Pakistan will not propose talks in New York when leaders of the two countries will be present next month for multilateral summits and insisted that it is up to India to do so.
Talking about underworld don and most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim who is hiding in Pakistan, Aziz said India has not given any official proof.
Pakistan last night called off the NSA-level talks, hours after India made it clear that discussions on Kashmir and a meeting with Hurriyat separatists will not be acceptable to it.
Talking about the decision, Aziz said, “Every time there is a small incident, you cannot postpone the discussion indefinitely by saying terror still continues, who decides?” “In the past when terror could be discussed along with the other (issues)...why this unilateral decision that now only terror will be discussed and nothing else.
So I think insistence on narrow definition...was obviously meant to sort of avoid discussion,” he said.
Insisting that Kashmir issue needs to be discussed, Aziz said, “I think this is very unfortunate because the dialogue between the two countries at some level was beginning and to loose that window of opportunity is rather unfortunate.”
