The Congress and the CPI (M) on Tuesday attacked the Centre over calling off talks with Pakistan. While the main Opposition party said the Government resorted to a knee-jerk reaction after remaining in a “sonorous slumber,” the CPI (M) said the decision was “inexplicable” as these meetings could be held only after the authorities permitted them.
AICC spokesperson Anand Sharma said the question is not why they cancelled the talks but why they started it in the first place. “They have followed an opaque and incoherent foreign policy towards Pakistan,” he said.
Noting that there has to be a consistent and coherent policy, the former Commerce Minister said, “BJP and Modi had taken an extreme view on our relations with Pakistan and had been castigating the UPA every now and then. Composite dialogue was not restored after India suspended it after Mumbai terror attacks. We wonder what was the basis and understanding due to which the decision to initiate such a dialogue was taken,” he said.
Congress leader Manish Tewari said the Modi Government has “completely walked itself into a corner”. “So they first agreed to talk to Pakistan, that also in Islamabad, notwithstanding all this background. The Government was in sonorous slumber and when there was a protest, it woke up and indulged in a knee-jerk reaction.”
India on Monday cancelled the talks between Foreign Secretaries in Islamabad on August 25, telling Pakistan bluntly to choose between an Indo-Pak dialogue or hobnobbing with the separatists. It strongly objected to consultations Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit had with separatist Hurriyat leaders.
“Now with the separatists challenging the Government and the Pakistan High Commissioner cocking a dare at the Government that they are still going ahead with their proposed interactions, what does the Government of India do the nextIJ What is the strategy of the Government of India towards Pakistan,” Tewari asked.
He also wondered why Modi did not react earlier when there was “enough provocation from Pakistan”. Regarding the Hurriyat leaders’ meeting with Basit, he said, “Hurriyat is neither a representative of Kashmir people nor a democratic organisation”.
CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury criticised the Government for calling off the Indo-Pak talks after Kashmiri separatists met Pakistan High Commissioner, saying the decision was “inexplicable” as these meetings could be held only after the authorities permitted them.
“Whenever some Pakistan leaders come, they (separatists) meet them and they do so in our country itself. And this is not possible without the permission of our government. Why did it permit the meeting firstIJ And after giving the permission, to call off the (Indo-Pak) talks is inexplicable. It can’t be understood,” Yechury said.