New Delhi [India], Aug. 31 : Coming down heavily on the BJP-led NDA Government for stating that India won't hold talks with Pakistan unless action on Pathankot is taken, the Congress on Wednesday said the "confused" ruling dispensation at the Centre has no definite concrete policy towards Islamabad.
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit told ANI that the diplomacy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led regime has completely failed.
"From where Pathankot comes I don't understand. After Pathankot, our Home Minister went to Pakistan.we spoke to Pakistan a few times. They gave us some invitations. We replied back saying that there will be no discussions unless we talk about terrorism and PoK. So, you sent a positive letter to Pakistan only debating on what issue to discuss and now you are saying you will have no talks until Pakistan..So it's a completely confused government," he added.
Escalating his attack on the Centre, Dikshit pointed out that there was no point of raising the issue of Pathankot at this point of time taking note of the fact that Pakistan embarrassed New Delhi and went away.
"Why the government of India did not say that until Pathankot is sorted out we will not have any more talks.
Why now? After Pathankot, you invited their investigating agencies almost like a 'baraat' into India, gave them all facilities.
When they embarrassed you and shamed you and went away, you said nothing," he added. Resonating similar sentiments, another Congress leader P.C. Chacko said suddenly saying that India won't talk with Pakistan unless action is taken on Pathankot showed the government does not have a firm policy towards Pakistan.
"The statement of Sushma Swaraj is her personal opinion. I don't know whether it is the opinion of the government of India. India has been saying this that Pakistan should take substantial action...then only they (India) will talk.
What happened to that? Then Pathankot happened. Now Sushma Swaraj says that if action is not taken on Pathankot, they will not talk. They have no definite concrete policy towards Pakistan," he added. Speaking after conclusion of the second U.S.-India strategic dialogue in New Delhi with visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said both countries have renewed their commitment to track down and prosecute perpetrators of several terrorist attacks on Indian soil, including the 2008 strike in Mumbai and a January 2016 attack on the Pathankot Air Force base.
India has blamed Pakistan-linked groups for the attacks. Swaraj said both sides had agreed on the "urgent necessity for Pakistan to disable safe havens and terrorist networks" and "on the need to Pakistan to do more to bring the perpetrators of (the two attacks) to justice quickly." "We reaffirmed the urgent necessity for Pakistan to dismantle safe havens for terrorists and criminals networks, including LeT, JeM and the D-Company," she said.
On his part, Kerry said, "U.S. continues to support all efforts to bring the perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot attacks to justice." Echoing the Indian foreign minister's remark, Kerry also said that US can't and won't make distinction between good and bad terrorists.
"U.S. stands with India on all matters of terrorism, no matter where it comes from; it's crystal clear we are on the same view over it", he said.
But he did say he had spoken recently with Pakistani officials about "the need for Pakistan to deprive any (terrorist) group of sanctuary." He specifically named the Haqqani network that operates in Afghanistan as well as Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has been blamed for attacks in India.
"It is vital that Pakistan join with other nations in tackling this challenge, and in fairness, in recent weeks and months they have been moving more authoritatively," Kerry said.
Source: ANI
