Terrorism and talks with Pakistan can't go together: Yashwant Sinha

WASHINGTON: Senior BJP leader and former external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha has criticised India's recent peace dialogue with Pakistan, saying terrorism and talks can't go together.

"Pakistan has to abide by the commitment it made to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in January 2004, that it would stop sponsoring terrorism across India only then there would be talks," Sinha said yesterday.

He was speaking to a small group of Indian Americans at an event organised by Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies, a Washington-based Indian-American think-tank.

Pakistan, Sinha said, has continued to attack India through this undeclared war.

"We are still talking. We tend to forget. 26/11 has been forgotten. We keep on forgetting and we keep getting attacked," he said.

"Now there is absolutely no doubt about the involvement of the Pakistani Government and elements in the Pakistani Administration in terrorist acts against India," Sinha said.

The BJP's policy, he said, is to engage Pakistan but only on the condition it would stop state-sponsored terrorism against India.