First meeting of foreign secretaries since Pathankot; terror, Kashmir their concerns

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar (left) with his Pakistan counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry (centre) and Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit (R) after a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday. Tribune Photo: Mukesh Aggarwal

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 26

India and Pakistan foreign secretaries met finally on Tuesday, their first interaction since the Pathankot terror attacks, and both countries put forward their concerns: India raised the issue of terrorism and Pathankot, while Pakistan harped on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir being the core issue between the two countries.

Pakistan also raised the issue of the arrest of Kulbhushan Yadav, a man it accuses of working for the RAW. India flatly refuted these allegations and, according to sources, India’s Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar even told his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry that no spy agency would put their agent in the field with his own passport and without a visa.

India also pressed for immediate access to Yadav, something that India has been asking of Pakistan since Yadav’s arrest. What raised eyebrows was the fact that Pakistan released a statement on the talks even while the meeting was in progress.

In a meeting that lasted 90 minutes, Jaishankar told Chaudhry, “Terrorist groups based in Pakistan targeting India must not be allowed to operate with impunity.”

India also rebutted all allegations of its involvement in Baluchistan. Dismissing allegations of Yadav being a spy, India pointed that he was an abducted naval officer.

India also demanded early and visible progress on both Pathankot and 26/11 attacks.

The statement released by the Pakistan High Commission said that Chaudhry had taken up the issue of Yadav and expressed serious concern over the RAW’s alleged involvement in subversive activities in Balochistan and Karachi.

 

“He said such acts undermine efforts to normalise relations between the two countries. He also conveyed concern over efforts by the Indian authorities for the release of the prime suspects of the Samjhauta Express blasts,” the Pakistan statement said.