Pakistan finally confirms to attend NSA talks in New Delhi

EW DELHI: Pakistan, after dithering for days, on Thursday confirmed August 23 as suggested by India for the NSA-level talks at Delhi to discuss terror-related issues.

"I can confirm that I will be going to India on August 23," Sartaj Aziz, Pak Foreign Affairs and NSA, told a press meet in Islamabad. In Delhi, NSA Ajit Doval on Thursday chaired a meeting with senior officials from Home, Defence and Foreign Affairs Ministry to finalise an agenda for the talks which will be dominated by India’s concerns on recent acts of terror in Udhampur and Gurdaspur, the 26/11 trial, terror camps in PoK and Indian fugitives hiding in Pakistan.

The Modi government had suggested August 23-24 for talks between Ajit Doval and Aziz. Pakistani officials said that the decision to attend the meeting was taken after PM Nawaz Sharif ’s clearance, who returned last night from Belarus.



"Although the security talks are not the revival of the composite dialogue, the meeting would be ‘ice-breaking’ as we will hold discussions on some important issues," Aziz said, adding, " Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif believes that dialogue is the only option to peacefully resolve issues."

The NSA-level talks were among the measures agreed between PM Narendra Modi and Sharif when they met in Ufa in Russia last month. However, tensions escalated within days of the Ufa meet on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. Besides the Gurdaspur and Udhampur attacks by suspected Pakistani nationals, there has been repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistani troopers in Jammu & Kashmir. Last week, India decided to boycott a Commonwealth parliamentary meeting in Islamabad to protest against the J&K assembly speaker not being invited.

While India wants the two NSAs to discuss all forms of terror, including the recent Gurdaspur attacks and the Udhampur incident (where Pak national is in custody), Pakistan may try to force other items on the agenda.