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Hours after the government called off foreign secretary-levels talks with Pakistan due to the Pakistani high commissioner meeting Kashmiri separatists, the Congress questioned why a decision to hold talks was taken in the first place.
Accusing the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government of pursuing an “inconsistent and incoherent foreign policy towards Pakistan”, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma pointed to how the former United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had suspended composite dialogue after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. “What is the change that has taken place?,” Sharma asked, referring to what had led the NDA government to resume talks with Pakistan.
"BJP and Modi had taken an extreme view on our (UPA) relations with Pakistan and had been castigating the UPA every now and then,” Sharma recalled. “Modi has to explain what has changed”, said the Congress spokesperson, citing how the then PM Manmohan Singh was accused by the BJP of being soft on Pakistan and intent on building a legacy.
The Congress has highlighted the “complete secrecy” about what transpired in the last two meetings between Nawaz Sharif and Narendra Modi.
” What was the understanding and the sssuarnces that had been taken from Pakistan to resume talks then. That has to be made public”, said Sharma.
He also asked why the decision to hold talks was taken when there were “grave provocations” continuous violations of the ceasefire.
As for the Hurriyat leaders' meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner, Sharma said, "Hurriyat is neither a representative of Kashmiri people nor a democratic organisation". He underlined that Pakistan had succeeded in putting Kashmir back on the agenda.
