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| India-Pakistan |
| India rejects Pakistan peace plan; calls for revival of terrorism talks |
| 2015-10-02 |
| [DAWN] India on Thursday rejected a four-point peace plan for Kashmire proposed by Pakistain but said talks among officials of both countries on terrorism that collapsed in August should be revived. Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... announced his proposal at the annual United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... General Assembly on Wednesday, saying the two nuclear-armed countries should formalise a ceasefire in Kashmire and take steps to demilitarise the divided region. Know more: PM urges India to pledge not to use force under any circumstances India issued a swift rebuttal, accusing Pakistain of claiming to be the primary victim of terrorism while "in truth, it is actually a victim of its own policy of breeding and sponsoring terrorists." On Thursday, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told the General Assembly that India remained open to dialogue, "but talks and terror cannot go together." "We don't need four points, we need just one: Give up terrorism and let us sit down and talk," she said. Swaraj said the talks between national security advisers on all issues related to terrorism should be held, as well as an early meeting of senior military officials to address the situation on the border. "If the response is serious and credible, India is prepared to address all outstanding issues through a bilateral dialogue," she said. Planned talks between national security advisers from India and Pakistain were canceled in August hours before they were due to start, dashing hopes the two might tackle the violence that many fear could one day spark a nuclear showdown. In the talks, India had wanted only to discuss terrorism-related issues. Pakistain sought a wider agenda, including the status of Kashmire. India and Pakistain have fought three wars since becoming independent countries in 1947, two of them over the Himalayan region of Kashmire, which both claim in full but rule in part. Sharif, elected in 2013, promised to improve relations with India. But since then domestic troubles have forced him to cede more control over foreign and security policy to Pakistain's military. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a hard line with Pakistain, insisting he is unwilling to discuss other issues unless Pakistain admits its role in terror attacks in India. India's Ministry of External Affairs made it clear that Sharif's proposal was a non-starter. "To de-militarize Kashmire is not the answer," ministry front man Vikas Swarup said in a tweet. "To de-terrorize Pakistain is." |
| Posted by:Fred |