Assess if situation conducive to resume high-level talks with Pakistan: Parl Panel

India should make regular assessment on whether the situation is conducive for resumption of high-level talks with Pakistan, a parliamentary panel has said, while asking to keep up diplomatic efforts to expose the nefarious activities of Pakistan and its links with various terrorist outfits.
In its report on countering global terrorism, which was tabled in Parliament on Monday, the parliamentary committee on external affairs said, “the government should make regular assessment on whether the situation is conducive for resumption of high-level interaction with the Pakistan government and take steps accordingly”.
There has been no high-level interaction between New Delhi and Islamabad in the last three years, particularly in wake of February 2019 Pulwama attack, in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed.
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The ministry of home affairs (MHA) had informed the panel that “the last home secretary level talks between India and Pakistan were held in the year 2011”.
The recommendation of panel comes two days before Pakistan goes for general elections, with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif leading the race.
Sharif has advocated for good relations with India, while praising New Delhi’s progress and global advancements.
On maintaining its stand on Pakistan’s support to terrorism, the parliamentary panel noted, “The committee desire that the government should keep up its diplomatic efforts to expose the nefarious activities of Pakistan and its links with various terrorist outfits at every fora while strengthening its land borders and sea routes to prevent terrorist infiltration”.
The government has informed that the issue of cross-border terrorism sponsored from across the border had been raised with the government of Pakistan, when situation was conducive for talks between the two countries.
“Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) has close links with terrorist outfits like Lashkar-e- Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Indian Mujahideen (IM), etc. and provides them safe havens, material support, finance and other logistics to carry out terrorist activities in India,” the MHA deposed before the panel, according to the report.
However, the MHA said, the (Indian) government consistently raises the issue of Pakistan’s continuing support to cross-border terrorism and terrorist infiltration at the bilateral, regional and multilateral level.
The government also conveyed to the panel that India has exposed Pakistan’s support to terrorism at international level including at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
“As a result of India’s persistent efforts, there is enhanced concern in the international community at terrorism emanating from Pakistan including the continuing activities of internationally designated terrorist entities such as Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Hizbul Mujahideen, etc,” the report says, quoting government’s response.