By IANS,
New Delhi : India reiterated Thursday the subcontinental dialogue process could not resume unless Pakistan acts credibly against terror directed against this country.
“There is no change in our position. Unless Pakistan acts credibly against terror directed against India, there can be no talks,” External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told reporters here.
The response came when he was asked to comment on Pakistan saying it would welcome the unconditional resumption of the dialogue process.
At his weekly briefing in Islamabad, Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basir said that it was through dialogue that the two countries understand each other and could get down to resolving the issues facing the region.
He also hoped the two countries would quickly move toward resuming their dialogue.
Basit also linked the resumption of the dialogue process to the resolution of the Kashmir issue, holding that peace in the region depended on this.
However, with India sticking to its stance, subcontinental tensions were heightened with the release Tuesday of 26/11 Mumbai terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
India has presented Pakistan with evidence linking the LeT to the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai carnage that claimed the lives of over 170 people, including 26 foreigners.
Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone gunman captured alive during the carnage has owned up his Pakistani nationality and admitted the LeT had trained him for the attacks.
India had frozen the subcontinental composite dialogue process in the wake of 26/11 and has repeatedly said that the talks could resume only if Pakistan showed tangible results in prosecuting the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks.
At his briefing, Basit said the Indian preconditions for resuming the talks were “untenable”.