The BJP on Thursday gave US President Barack Obama’s example to reiterate its demand to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that he should not hold any talks with his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif under the present circumstance.
The two are expected to meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York next month. The Opposition party asked Singh to take a cue from Obama who has cancelled his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit at St Petersburg in Russia next month after intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden was granted temporary asylum by Moscow.
“I think he (Prime Minister) should take a cue from Obama who had cancelled his meeting with Putin only on giving an asylum to somebody who was wanted by the USA,” senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi told reporters. The former Union Minister said, “Five soldiers have been killed. Right now, there is sufficient ground to declare that the Indian Prime Minister will not hold any talks with Pakistan till they fulfil the commitment given to (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee in 2004.”
In a joint statement, then Pakistan President Parvez Musharraf had committed not to allow territories under its control to be used for terrorism against India. leader of Opposition in the lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj echoed similar views. “I am happy with today’s statement of the Defence Minister. let us deal with terror first. We will talk later,” she said on Twitter.
Former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha also demanded that there should be no talks with the neighbouring country when its Army personnel were carrying out attacks on Indian soldiers. “Our demand to end talks with Pakistan still holds,” Sinha said. He, however, expressed satisfaction over Defence Minister AK Antony’s fresh statement in Parliament, blaming “specialist troops” of Pakistan for killing of Indian soldiers.
The BJP also said after Antony’s clarification, the issue was closed. “As a responsible Opposition, it is our duty to bring the Government back on track when it gets derailed. We have only played our role. The Defence Minister’s mistake would have been harmful for the nation. There is no question of giving any benefit of doubt to Pakistan,” BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.
Hussain also demanded that a structured debate should be held in Parliament on the infiltrations from Pakistan and the continued support to terrorism against India from its soil.