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Talks with Pak vital for foiling terror forces’ plan: NSA
Tribune News Service

On China The China border has been relatively peaceful after 1962 for a reason. We are careful to maintain an equilibrium (or prevent the emergence of a significant imbalance) and a political context in which neither side finds the costs of changing the status quo attractive. — Shivshankar Menon, NSA

New Delhi, October 15
Justifying its continued attempts to engage with Islamabad, India on Tuesday said not holding talks with the neighbouring country would amount to falling into the trap of terrorists and their sponsors in the Pakistani establishment.

“When 40 self-styled experts and some political groups say do not talk to Pakistan until ideal conditions exist and all terrorism stops, it betrays a lack of self-confidence. This is precisely what the terrorists and their sponsors in the Pakistani establishment want,” said National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon. He was delivering the Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture, which was organised by the All India Radio.

Menon was referring to a statement issued by nearly 40 retired military, intelligence and civilian officials recently asking the government not to rush into a dialogue with Pakistan on the assumption that new Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was committed to improving ties with India.

Arguing that not talking to Pakistan would not change the behaviour of ‘our enemies,’ Menon said it would only help them in their nefarious designs and further encourage them. “At the very least, talking to the saner elements in Pakistan could encourage them to stand for the right policies and could create confusion among our enemies,” said Menon.

Though he did not identify the sponsors of terrorists in the Pakistani establishment, he was obviously alluding to the Pakistan Army.

Talking about India’s ’complex’ relationship with China, Menon admitted that there were issues between the two countries as was natural between two neighbours which were growing and changing rapidly. “We try to maintain the dynamic equilibrium in the relationship needed for peace, stability and predictability. So far, we have managed to do so successfully,’’he said.

“The China border has been relatively peaceful after 1962 for a reason.We are careful to maintain an equilibrium (or prevent the emergence of a significant imbalance) and a political context in which neither side finds the costs of changing the status quo attractive.’’ Menon said that during the seventies, eighties and nineties, India faced explicit or implicit nuclear threats on several occasions.