Congress says steps must be taken with great caution, circumspection on Indo-Pak talks

Commenting on the rescheduling of foreign secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan, the Congress Party on Friday cautioned that the next steps should be undertaken with a degree of circumspection.

"We have to hasten with great caution and circumspection, no clean chit no unconditional acceptance can be there. Pakistan has played this game once too often. It is like the story of the wolf. The person who is really detained or arrested we don't have any official confirmation yet. Even if he is arrested or detained whether there is proper sustained prosecution? Whether an FIR is lodge? Whether the prosecution will sustained long enough to properly yield or to result in a conviction," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told ANI here.

Singhvi further said that partial and cautious support is useful and right and one must wait for things to pan out because if this is just a sham or a make believe than it will fall apart very soon.

"These are vital issues, I am prepared to give full benefit of doubt to Prime Minister Sharif. I am not prepared to give that benefit of doubt to anybody else in that country. So, let us wait and watch," he added.

India on Thursday welcomed the steps taken by Pakistan to investigate the antecedents of the terror strike in Pathankot allegedly by the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and pledged to extend all help to the former's special investigation team when it arrives in India.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that India viewed the crackdown on the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist group as an important and positive first step.

Earlier, the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that they have no information about the arrest of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar in connection with the recent Pathankot terror attack.

However, Punjab (Pakistan province) Law Minister Rana Sanaullah has confirmed that Azhar is under their 'protective custody' and assured of his arrest only if his involvement in the Pathankot attack was proved.