Pathankot Terror Attack: India-Pak FS Talks Unlikely To Be Derailed
02 January, New Delhi
There were clear indications available here today that India and Pakistan will go ahead with their scheduled Foreign Secretary-level talks in Islamabad, the pre-dawn terror attack at the Pathankot Airbase by suspected Pakistani terrorists notwithstanding.
Incidents like these in the past have often derailed the peace process but statements from the ruling establishment in New Delhi after the Pathankot terror strike have been restrained with acknowledgement that anti-India forces in Pakistan were yet again trying to sabotage the peace dialogue.
Terror incidents just at a time when the peace process seems to be making headway are nothing new in the history of the accident-prone India-Pakistan relationship.
Starting from the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack in the wake of which the composite dialogue process was suspended till last years incidents on the border, it has been a repeated story.
Foreign Affairs Advisor to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Sartaj Aziz, had this week said in the Upper House of the National Assembly that the dialogue process was challenging as it involved difficult decisions and issues.
The two Foreign Secretaries in their coming meeting were supposed to work on the road-map of the dialogue for the next six months. The decision to hold Foreign Secretaries meeting in Islamabad as part of the attempts to resume the peace dialogue process was announced by the two countries earlier last month during the visit of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to Islamabad to take part in the Heart of Asia conference in Islamabad.
Later, Prime Minister Narendra Modis surprise visit to Lahore infused more confidence and certainty in the process.
The ruling BJP said India will do its best to see that those who wanted to derail the peace process were defeated.
”Whenever there is any movement for improving relations, some forces across the border become active to defeat the peace moves. But India will do its best to see that these forces were defeated in their designs,” Party spokesperson Nalin Kohli said.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said India wanted peaceful relations with Pakistan. He, however, said any terrorist attack on India will get an appropriate response.
Pakistan also condemned the Pathankot terror strike and expressed its commitment to work with India to eradicate the menace.
”Pakistan condemns the terrorist incident in Pathankot today in which many precious lives have been lost. ”Pakistan remains committed to partner with India and other regional countries to eradicate the menace of terrorism afflicting our region,” Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah said.
Opposition Congress’ spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala expressed serious concern over the incident and urged the Prime Minister to take up the matter with Pakistan. Deputy Leader of party in the Lok Sabha and former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh said it was sad that the attack happened after some efforts were made to restore peace with Pakistan.
National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah described the attack as the first major challenge to Modi.
”That was quick. Heres first major challenge to the PM Modis bold Pakistan gambit. The BJP now has to sidestep its previous terror and talks cant go together and insulate the Indo-Pak dialogue from such attacks,” he said in a series of tweets.