External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at Jawaharlal Nehru Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday. — PTI
India on Monday blamed Pakistan for derailing the proposed foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries by insisting on talking to Kashmiri separatists despite India’s warning, even as external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj made it clear that India would engage in dialogue only with the democratically-elected government in Pakistan and “never the Pakistan Army or the ISI”.
While not ruling out any meeting on the sidelines between PM Narendra Modi and Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif in the US during their forthcoming visits to attend the UN General Assembly, she said there can be “no fullstop” in diplomacy with Pakistan but only “commas and semicolons”.
Just hours before Ms Swaraj’s remarks, the Pakistan Army’s director-general of military operations (DGMO) spoke to his Indian counterpart and offered any assistance the Indian Army may need to tackle the flood situation in Kashmir. Defence sources termed the move as “positive” at a time when the Pakistan Army was seen as hardening its stand vis-à-vis India.
When asked about any meeting between the two Prime Ministers in the US, Ms Swaraj said, “As the situation emerges, we will respond. We are not going with any pre-set mind.”
“What was the need for the Pakistan high commissioner to call separatists (for consultations)? What did they achieve? There is no flaw in our policy. We told them (Pakistan) in advance that if you talk to them (separatists), the talks will not take place,” she said, adding that despite this, Pakistan chose to go ahead, following which India called off the talks. She asked what was wrong if India made it clear that Pakistan cannot interfere in its internal affairs.
She pointed out that during his meeting with Mr Sharif after his swearing-in ceremony in May, Mr Modi had asked for border trade to be started at the Attari-Wagah border but that did not happen. She said that Mr Sharif had said that foreign secretary-level talks take place, to which Mr Modi agreed. “Who derailed the initiative? It was Pakistan,” Ms Swaraj said.
On Pakistan’s response to India’s assistance for victims of floods in PoK, Ms Swaraj said people should appreciate the sentiment of the statement and not get into the technicalities of the language.