India & Pakistan NSAs likely to meet before foreign secretary-level talks

NEW DELHI: In the wake of the Pathankot attack, India and Pakistan are looking to first hold a meeting between the two national security advisors (NSAs). The foreign secretary-level talks will happen only after that discussion.

Highly-placed sources told ET that NSA Ajit Doval is currently in France on an official visit and is in direct touch with his Pakistani counterpart Lt Gen (retd) NK Janjua to hold a meeting at the earliest. Janjua is likely to give a detailed update on the investigation on the leads provided by India, while Doval may share additional information from what more has emerged out of the Pathankot probe until now.

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Senior sources told ET that while the proposed FS-level meeting on January 15-16 was aimed at firming up schedule for meetings under different segments of the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue, it would be appropriate to hold NSA level dialogue before the meet of the foreign secretaries to discuss progress in investigation by Pakistan. “Following terror strike, sequence of Indo-Pak bilateral meetings may not be held as earlier conceived,” an authoritative source said.

ET had reported last week the two NSAs might meet ahead of FS meeting following the Pathankot strike. Even home minister Rajnath Singh struck a conciliatory tone on Tuesday. “There is no reason to distrust (avishvaas) them (Pakistan) so early… Pakistan government has said it will take effective action. I think we should wait,” Singh said on the margins of an event in Noida.

On its part, Islamabad has already formed a joint investigation team after Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif chaired a meeting following a conversation with PM Modi. While initial inputs from Pakistan suggest that their agencies have not been able to make much headway with the phone numbers and other such leads provided by India, reports indicate that they have conducted some raids and even questioned possible suspects. The much awaited FS-level talks are on hold after the Pathankot attack.