India downplays Aziz's remarks, says will stick to joint declaration

Aziz issued a statement asking for "more evidence and information" from India on 26/11 and asserted that talks cannot take place without Kashmir being on agenda

India on Tuesday downplayed the remarks made by Pakistan, even as it asserted that it would strictly go by what was discussed and jointly announced by the both sides following the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Russia.

On Monday, Pakistan Prime Minister’s advisor on national security and foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, had said the issue of Kashmir dispute will top their agenda for any dialogue with India. However, Indian authorities were learnt to have dismissed his comments and “unilateral” and something that does not validate the position both countries have decided to undertake.

According to sources, the meeting between national security advisors of both the countries, which will take place in New Delhi followed by another meeting in Islamabad, will set the agenda of talks between both the nuclear-armed rivals.

The sources said India was looking forward to talks between NSAs and DGMOs of the two countries, which will take place as was decided post the meeting between Modi and Sharif.

There was a "fair amount of discussion" on the issue of action against 26/11 mastermind Zakhi-ur Rahman Lakhvi between Modi and Sharif during their hour-long meeting in Ufa, Russia last week. The Indian side had taken up the contentious issue of progress in the Lakhvi case.

However, three days after the leaders met, Aziz said Pakistan had asked for more information and evidence from India. The issue is expected to dominated the NSA-level talks. Sources said, India had also indicated to Pakistan that it is serious about take punitive action against Lakhvi and also Hafiz Saeed and that it has enough evidence against both of them to show to Pakistan and get them to India for a trial.

Sources said both the foreign secretaries had taken consent from their respective Prime Ministers before issuing the joint statement. India believes what Aziz stated in terms of India's role in Balochistan, it was done to appease their "domestic audience".

It was Prime Minister Modi's decision to invite Sharif for a bilateral meeting. On the issue of why Kashmir was not mentioned in the joint statement, a source said that was because a lot of it was "assumed and implicit".

Aziz's statement was from his own perspective. It was nothing new or surprising," said a source who said that both leaders had a relaxed meeting and had decided to take up a two-pronged strategy in reviving the process of dialogue.