INDIA : Peace on LoC must for talks with Pakistan

NEW DELHI: Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the ASEM meeting here but Indian government stressed there would be no forward movement with Islamabad until there is peace and tranquility on the line of control (LoC).

Questioned on the content of the meeting, ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperman Syed Akbaruddin said they flow from the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singhand his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York in September.

“One outcome (from the prime ministers’ meeting) was the precondition for moving ahead in our bilateral relationship which depends on peace and tranquility on the line of control. “So, they (foreign ministers) will assess where they have moved on since then. Does it require anything further? And that will be basically the basis for further discussion,” he said.

The Pakistan side asked for a meeting with Khurshid on the sidelines of the ASEM meeting, which India has agreed to. But with ceasefire violations becoming more frequent on the LoC as well as an uptick in cross-border violence, New Delhi has taken a tougher stand.

Politically, the government has laid down a red line that violence on the border will have an adverse effect on the ties. India has called off almost all its official dialogue with Pakistan on all subjects.

The spokesperson said by their very nature such conversations were limited in their scope. India is expected to convey its concerns over the series of ceasefire violations by Pakistani army during the meeting with Aziz.

Source : TOI