Dec 14 , 2015
News
No secrecy in my meeting with Modi in Paris, talks in Bangkok, says Nawaz
“If we didn’t announce anything in advance, it was by way of precaution’
ASHGABAT – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while rejecting criticism over the ‘sudden’ resumption of talks between Pakistan and India has said that there was no secrecy in his meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and in the talks between the national security advisers in Bangkok.Speaking to The Hindu newspaper, he said that the peace process needed time and patience. “I don’t think there is any secrecy around the process. If we didn’t announce anything in advance, it was by way of precaution,” he said in his first comments on the talks since he and Modi met in Paris on November 30.
In Pakistan and in India, some opposition parties have demanded transparency and questioned the need to have kept the Paris and Bangkok meetings a secret. India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj travelled to Islamabad and announced the resumption of the comprehensive dialogue after her meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz.
Now, foreign secretaries Aizaz Chaudhry and S Jaishankar are expected to meet next in New Delhi in January to formalise the timetable for the secretary-level talks on various issues. Recounting the turn of events after the two prime ministers met on the sidelines of the climate change conference in Paris, Nawaz called the meeting very good and very successful.
“In that short time we were able to agree on the way forward, which led to the adviser-level meeting [in Bangkok]. And I think the Heart of Asia conference we held in Islamabad gave us the opportunity to take things ahead,” he said. “We have just restarted so it needs time, and you must have patience. Let us hope it goes smoothly,” he said.
On Monday, Sushma made a statement in the Rajya Sabha, upper house of the Indian parliament, on her visit last week to Pakistan. She informed the lawmakers that Pakistan and India would engage in a comprehensive dialogue on all issues including peace, security and Jammu Kashmir. She said that continued estrangement of Pakistan and India was a hurdle to realisation of peace and prosperity in the region.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk