New Delhi: India is likely to hold the foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan only after watching the outcome of the proposed visit of the Pakistani Special Investig-ation Team to India as part of its Pathankot terror probe, sources indicated, while the two foreign secretaries might hold informal parleys at a Saarc meeting in Kathmandu next month.
In other important developments on Thursday, the external affairs ministry said recent reports that Mr Sartaj Aziz, the Pakistan PM’s foreign affairs adviser, had admitted that Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maul-ana Masood Azhar was in Islamabad’s protective custody would be taken up with Pakistan during the SIT’s visit to India, while New Delhi also said India will again move the UN “1267 Sanctions Committ-ee” to include Masood Azh-ar’s name on the sanctions list. India is likely to begin efforts soon to persuade China to back its move at the UN since Beijing had once blocked such a move earlier.
In Islamabad, a Pakistan government spokesman said on Thursday that a team of special investigators probing the Pathankot airbase attack will visit India soon to collect evidence, reports PTI. “The special investigation team will shortly visit India to collect evidence on the airbase attack,” Pakistan foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said, but didn’t give any date for the visit.
“We will be moving to 1267 Sanctions Committee to also include the name of Masood Azhar on the sanctions list. It is a great anomaly that Jaish-e-Mohammed is listed but not its leader,” MEA spokesman Vikas Swarup said.
He noted India has already submitted to the UN’s Sanctions Committee a fresh list of 11 terrorists from Pakistan-based terror groups affiliated to Al Qaeda, Taliban and other outfits responsible for terrorism in the country.
The UN earlier banned the JeM but India’s efforts to ban Azhar after the Mumbai terror attacks did not fructify as China, one of five permanent UN Security Council members with veto powers, didn’t allow a ban, apparently at Pakistan’s behest.
India Thursday also said it “carefully noted” Mr Aziz’s remarks on the detention of Masood Azhar and the issue will be discussed when the Pakistani SIT visits India over the Pathankot terror attack probe. Mr Swarup said India still awaited a firm proposal from Pakistan on the “dates and composition” of the SIT and only then will the Indian security agencies decide which places the team will visit. This was in response to a question on defence minister Manohar Parrikar’s comment that the Pakistan SIT would not be allowed to visit the Pathankot airbase, the site of the attack.
“We have carefully noted the comments made (by Aziz) on Maulana Masood Azhar. I think it will be a subject of discussion once the SIT visits India,” Mr Swarup said but didn’t give a direct reply when asked if Pakistan had officially told India about the JeM chief.
On the status of the foreign secretary-level talks, the spokesman merely reiterated: “The foreign secretaries are in touch and there are no further developments.”
The spokesman also rejected the allegation that Pakistan’s high commissioner Abdul Basit was not given permission to visit Chennai to attend a function, saying on February 12 itself permission was given to the high commissioner, his wife and a high commission official to visit Chennai on February 22.
