New Delhi: In a scathing attack ahead of the upcoming NSA-level talks, official spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup on Friday said that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism is the only struggle in J&K.
Swarup also confirmed that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir will be the subject of the August 23-24 India-Pakistan National Security Adviser (NSA)-level talks.
“Only struggle in Jammu and Kashmir is against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism,” MEA spokesperson tweeted.
.@RajeahLalwani The only struggle in J&K is against Pakistani sponsored terrorism. This will be the subject of the upcoming NSA level talks.
— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) August 14, 2015
He further wrote: “This will be the subject of the upcoming Indo-Pak NSA-level talks.”
Ahead of the Indo-Pak NSA-level talks, Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit said his country will not "abandon" the Kashmiris' "legitimate struggle for freedom", stressing that to have normal and cooperative relationship with India it was necessary to settle the decades-old dispute.
Abdul Basit in his remarks to mark his country`s Independence Day said: "Aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir could neither be ignored nor put on the back burner. No matter how much more time their legitimate struggle takes, Pakistan will never abandon Kashmiris and their cause."
He further said, "Pakistan has always wanted to have a normal and cooperative relationship with India. To this end, it was necessary to settle all the outstanding issues, particularly the Jammu and Kashmir dispute to improve relations."
Basit`s remarks come a day after Pakistan`s National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz confirmed that he will attend the NSA talks with India`s Ajit Doval here.
National Security Adviser is scheduled to meet his Pakistan counterpart Sartaz Aziz here for talks on terrorism- related issues for the first time on August 23 in New Delhi, as decided in a meeting between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif last month in Ufa in Russia.
India is expected to present strong evidence of terrorism emanating from Pakistan highlighted further by recent attacks in Gurdaspur in Punjab and near Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir.
India's case is bolstered by the capture of Mohammed Naved Yakub, a Pakistani national and a LeT operative, who carried out an attack on a BSF bus last week near Udhampur.
(With Agency inputs)
