Cornered Pak says India will be responsible if NSA talks don't take off

Pakistan's National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz on Saturday said India would be blamed by Islamabad if the talks scheduled to be held in New Delhi on Sunday and Monday are not held.

Briefing newspersons here, Aziz said India was responsible for the cancellation of the foreign secretary-level talks that were scheduled to be held on August 25, 2014, and added that New Delhi would also be held responsible if the talks of August 23 and 24, 2015 were cancelled.

"The reason for this regretful second cancellation, if it happens, will be the same," said Aziz.

The Pakistan NSA said that if India would be presenting documentary evidence of alleged terrorism from Pakistani soil to Islamabad, Pakistan would also not be backing down and would be carrying at least three dossiers on the involvement of the Research and Analysis (the external intelligence agency of India) in Pakistan, most notably in Balochistan, and other evidence.

"We will carry dossiers carrying information of RAW's involvement in Pakistan," said Aziz.

He also said that it was India that had introduced new conditions in the agenda and format of the forthcoming NSA talks "with its advice that Pakistan could not meet Hurriyat leaders".

"We are very disturbed about the arresting of the Hurriyat leaders, as it is a violation of their fundamental rights," said the Pakistan NSA.

"I urge Mr. Modi (Indian Prime Minister) to ponder over what I call the most important part of the Ufa statement that India and Pakistan have a collective responsibility to ensure peace in South Asia," he added.

"On my part, I'm still prepared to go to New Delhi for the NSA talks, but without any preconditions," Aziz said.

"As far as we are concerned, we are still ready to hold the talks. We have not formally cancelled the talks. The Indian External Affairs Minister (Sushma Swaraj) is holding a press conference this afternoon. We will see what comes out of it," Aziz said.

Sushma Swaraj will address a press conference in New Delhi at 4 p.m. today, said an Indian Ministry of External Affairs statement.

Though no details were immediately available on what would be the agenda taken up at the press conference by the minister, media circles here believe that it could focus on the Indian Government's position on the forthcoming NSA talks.

The two press conferences are taking place a day after India and Pakistan sparred through verbal and written statements over Islamabad's determination and intention to meet with separatist leaders from Kashmir ahead of the proposed August 23 and 24 NSA talks.

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that its High Commissioner's invitation to the Kashmiri Hurriyat leadership on August 23 was very much in keeping with the practice and tradition of the past many years.

While India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) sent across a strong message to Pakistan, insisting that there are only two stakeholders in the talks between India and Pakistan and added that New Delhi is committed to discuss the issues peacefully and bilaterally.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is scheduled to meet his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz for the talks in the national capital on Monday.