'Will give Pak benefit of doubt but not at India's cost'

Image
Press Trust of India Melbourne
Last Updated : Nov 11 2013 | 6:58 PM IST
India will give Pakistan the "benefit of the doubt" as they pursue peace amid a series of ceasefire violations along the LoC but this cannot be at India's cost, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has said.
"...If you look at the ground reality and you look at the result of our meetings, it is very disappointing, particularly in recent times meetings have been somewhat disappointing if not counterproductive," he said.
"I think the new government there (Pakistan) has a very very difficult situation to handle. Our view is that we should give them time and benefit of doubt but not at our cost," Khurshid said in an interview to The Australian newspaper.
India would be able to say there is "adequate evidence" of Pakistan's intent to move forward on bilateral ties if it is "able to address the issue of dismantling of terrorist infrastructure that is targeted at India" and "some accountability is shown on what happened in Mumbai through the legal proceedings that are under way", he said.
Pakistan has also not followed through on its promise of a top-level military meeting to address tensions along the Line of Control (LoC), he said.
"We still have not seen a proper meeting between the Directors General of Military Operations which we had agreed in the New York meeting (between the Prime Ministers) would take place soon. The idea was that military-to-military, there is going to be a better understanding why these violations are happening and what is to be done in order both to restrict the damage that they can do as well as if possible eliminate them entirely for future," he said.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Nov 11 2013 | 6:58 PM IST

Next Story