‘Scheduling difficulties’ hit foreign secretary-level talks, likely in February

India and Pakistan have run into “scheduling difficulties” over the foreign secretary-level talks due to the busy schedules of the two foreign secretaries, while New Delhi wants Islamabad to take “credible and decisive action” against those responsible for the Pathankot attacks, sources said. The talks may now take place in February.

Foreign secretary S. Jaishankar is fully preoccupied with the preparations for French President Francois Hollande’s visit to India, that will be till January 26, after which the Pakistani foreign secretary will be busy with some prior commitments for a few days, sources said. There are indications the talks may take place any time from the first week of February, despite intense speculation that New Delhi is in no hurry and will wait for more decisive action by Islamabad against terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed that operates from its soil and is learnt to have masterminded the Pathankot terror attack.

While announcing that no date has been set as yet for the FS-level talks, the external affairs ministry made it clear “India expects comprehensive action” by Pakistan against those responsible for the Pathankot attack, that includes bringing those responsible to justice. New Delhi is still maintaining the FS-level talks will be held in the “very near future”. Sources said India feels Pakistan has shown a “constructive” attitude but is waiting for it to back its words with more action. Asserting that it was “closely” following the progress of the investigation in Pakistan, New Delhi said it expects “robust action” from Islamabad to bring the perpetrators to book. Maintaining that both national security advisers and the foreign secretaries of the two countries were in touch with each other, the MEA said a meeting between foreign secretary S. Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhary will take place at a “mutually convenient date” but refused to set any timeframe.

“The two NSAs have not met but they have been in touch. We continue to closely follow progress in the (Pakistan) investigation on the Pathankot attack... We continue to expect robust action by Pakistan against all perpetrators... We are looking for credible and comprehensive action to bring all the perpetrators of the Pathankot terror attack to justice,” MEA spokesman Vikas Swarup said.

On the visit of a Pakistan SIT over the terror attack, he said the government had not got any information after the first official statement by Pakistan on a possible visit by a Pakistani SIT to India and was awaiting a “firm proposal”. The spokesman added: “In principle, we have welcomed the decision of the Pakistan government to consider sending a SIT team... The rest is a matter of details. What they can see Where they can go What will be the terms of reference Those need to be worked out by agencies on both sides provided the Pakistan government firms up its decision to send the team.”

The defence ministry is reluctant to allow any Pakistani SIT into the Pathankot airbase, but the MEA feels that modalities such as where the team will be allowed to go can be worked out later by the Indian authorities.

The MEA also dismissed as “baseless” allegations from some quarters in Pakistan that India had something to do with the attack at a university at Charsadda in Pakistan in which several people, mostly students, were massacred by heavily-armed suicide attackers. “The issue has also not been raised officially with us by Pakistan,” the MEA said.

In Islamabad, foreign office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah was quoted as saying: “The foreign secretary-level talks between Pakistan and India are going to be held in the near future and both sides are in touch on that count.”