IANS
Islamabad, April 15
The Pakistani foreign office has rejected a notion that the peace process between Islamabad and India was suspended, saying it remained engaged with New Delhi.
“We need to look ahead and not think in terms of foreclosing any options. Both sides are in contact with each other,” Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said on Thursday during a weekly media briefing.
The spokesman was referring to media reports quoting Pakistan’s High Commissioner in India Abdul Basit as having said that the peace process was “suspended”, Dawn online reported on Friday.
“Dialogue is the best option. Diplomacy is for interaction and engagement between countries,” Zakaria said.
Last December, the two countries had agreed to restart the peace dialogue, which was named Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue.
It was agreed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise stopover in Lahore on Christmas Day that the Foreign Secretaries would meet to decide the schedule and other details of the first round of talks.
However, the plan for re-engagement after a hiatus of two years was affected by the Pathankot attack in January and the two countries have not been able to schedule the foreign secretaries’ meeting since. Zakaria said the meeting would take place once the “modalities” have been settled.
India takes exception to OIC comments on J&K
Reacting strongly, India today termed as “factually incorrect and misleading” the references to Kashmir made by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) during its 13th Summit in Turkey and asked it to refrain from making such statements.
India also questioned the locus standi of the OIC, which in its communique affirmed “its support to the people of the Jammu & Kashmir for their right to self-determination”, to make such references.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, “We note with utmost regret that the final communique adopted at the conclusion of the 13th Islamic Summit of the Heads of State/Government of the OIC Member States held at Istanbul, Turkey on 14-15 April includes factually incorrect and misleading references pertaining to the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India.
“We completely reject all such references regarding matters internal to India, on which the OIC has no locus standi. We further advise the OIC to refrain from making such references in future.”
The OIC members also reaffirmed its principled support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the realisation of their legitimate right to self-determination, in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and said that freedom struggle must not be equated with terrorism.
