Islamabad: Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz said here on Saturday he is still prepared to go to New Delhi for talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval and it will be regretful if the talks were cancelled on “flimsy grounds”.
“I am still ready to go to New Delhi to hold (NSA) talks without any preconditions,” Aziz told the media here as uncertainty loomed over the talks between India and Pakistan’s National Security Advisers in New Delhi.
The Pakistan high commission has invited Jammu and Kashmir separatist leaders to hold deliberations with Aziz ahead of the NSA talks. India has adviced against it.
He said Kashmir would still be on the agenda of talks. “India seems to be ignoring the most important matter that is the bone of contention in the relations between the two countries. We stand by it and would like to talk on it with the Indian counterpart if and when we meet,” he said.
To a query, Aziz said: “No serious talks with India are possible without discussion on the core issue of Kashmir.”
Aziz said the Pakistan high commission had invited separatist leaders to enable him to meet a cross-section of leaders. India has said this was unacceptable.
“Is it conceivable that a country like India will cancel the talks on such flimsy grounds?” he asked. He saidit would be regretful if cancellation happens.
Just a couple of hours before Aziz spoke in Islamabad, Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah was detained in New Delhi when he flew in from Srinagar.
Referring to Shah’s detention, Aziz said he was disturbed by this and that it violated Shah’s fundamental rights.
Aziz said the purpose of the NSA talks was to achieve tranquility between the two countries.
He said they have prepared three dossiers on alleged activities of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) on Pakistani soil.
Aziz said he would carry the dossiers and hoped he gets a chance to hand over them to his Indian counterpart Doval, whom he is scheduled to meet on August 24.
“If I don’t get an opportunity to hand over the dossiers to Doval in New Delhi, I hope to give it to him in New York next month if he comes with (Indian Prime Minister Narendra) Modi,” he said, adding that he would hand them over to the UN Secretary General.
Aziz said the Indian prime minister wants to normalise ties on his own terms.
“Cancellation of the talks is not confirmed from our side…we are ready to go for the talks as scheduled…,” he said.