No problem with Hurriyat leaders talking to Pak: Government

The govt had no objection on meeting between separatists leaders and Pakistan High Commissioner, says VK Singh.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has said that Hurriyat leaders are Indian citizens and the government does not have any problem with them meeting the Pakistani High Commissioner or any foreign representative in India. However, it clarified that there would be no role for a third party in the bilateral dialogue between India and Pakistan.

Minister of state for external affairs General VK Singh on April 28 gave a written reply in Parliament said, “Since the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the Union of India and these so called Kashmiri ‘leaders’ are Indian citizens, there is no bar on their meetings with representatives of any country in India,” said VK Singh in his reply.

“However, India has consistently maintained that there is no role for a third party in the bilateral dialogue between India and Pakistan as per the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration. India’s displeasure at Pakistan’s attempts to interfere in India’s internal affairs has been repeatedly conveyed to Pakistan,” he further stated.

In August 2014, the Modi government had imposed a new pre-condition to talks with Pakistan, cancelling foreign secretary meet on the argument that the Pakistani High Commissioner had met Hurriyat leaders before the official talks.

The India- Pakistan dialogue process was also temporarily halted after the Pathankot attack, following which Abdul Basit, the Pak envoy to India, said talks between the two countries have been suspended.

Last week, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, held their first bilateral meeting after the Pathankot attacks during the Heart of Asia conference in New Delhi last week.