Pakistan anxiously waiting for Indo-Pak FS-level talks: Sartaj Aziz

Washington: Pakistan is "anxiously waiting" for the Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level talks, a top aide of Pakistan Prime Minister said today and asked India not to give the non-state actors "a veto" over bilateral ties.

Sartaj Aziz, the foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said that his government's policy direction with regard to fight against terrorism is "clear" but conceded that the "implementation is not very easy".

He said a Special Investigative Team (SIT) is scheduled to visit India to investigate the Pathankot terrorist attack and collect samples and evidences.

But the progress on the investigation depends on the co-operation from India, he said in response to a question at the Council on Foreign Relations a top US think-tank.
"As our policy of peaceful neighbourhood, we have reached out to India. We are anxiously waiting for the dialogue to be resumed. The Pathankot incident disrupted the process of the two foreign secretaries' meetings," Aziz said.

"Once we begin the dialogue, I am sure we would be able to deal with some issues even if we are not able to solve all the issues at dispute. Our main purpose is that Line of Control should be peaceful, normal relationship should start, sporting links should resume so that tension decreases. That prepares the ground for dealing with more difficult issues," Aziz said.

Responding to a question on how Pakistan would manage the "ability of the spoilers" to take off track the peace efforts of the government in particular with that with India, he conceded that this is a tough task at their disposal.

"The question is obviously people who want to disrupt these talks, non-state actors of course. No country has totally controlled them. So for somebody to orchestrate an incident, with people on both sides of the border, these kinds of incidents would always take place. We have been urging India not to give a veto to these non-state groups.

"There is one incident and the whole relationship collapses," Aziz said.

Observing that a great deal of the problem being faced by Pakistan today is the result of fighting other people's war, including the war against Russia by Afghan Mujahedeen and the US.
"Should, we have done that in retrospect, I do not know. Look at the cost to us.. Both guns and drugs. We have destroyed our economic potential in last 20-25 years because of the one decision that we took," he said.

Ironically military rulers of that time took such decisions to stay in power.

"We have now decided enough to enough. We must look after our own borders, look after our own country, must develop our economy and not become part of anything that does not directly affect us," he noted.