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Khurshid to take up truce violations with Pak
Ashok Tuteja/TNS

New Delhi, October 31
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will raise with Pakistan Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz the continuing ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops along the LoC when the two meet here on the margins of the ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Ministers’ Conference to be held at Gurgaon in the second week of November.

MEA spokesman Syed Akbaruddin today confirmed that Islamabad has requested for a meeting between Aziz and Khurshid on the sidelines of the event being hosted by India on November 11-12. “’We intend to have that meeting based on that request.”

The meeting between the two leaders assumes significance against the backdrop of the escalation in tension between the two countries in the wake of ceasefire violations as well as increased attempts at infiltration from across the border. There have been over 300 ceasefire violations already since the beginning of the year. Only yesterday, Defence Minister AK Antony had expressed serious concern over a marked rise in infiltration across with the "tacit" backing of the Pakistani Army.

Even PM Manmohan Singh recently stated that he was "disappointed" with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif for his failure to check ceasefire violation. The MEA spokesman also made it clear the precondition for a forward movement in the relationship with Pakistan was an improvement in the situation on the LoC as was agreed upon between the two Prime Ministers when they met in New York last month.

Sharif against tit-for-tat policy

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said Pakistan and India will have to revisit the tit-for-tat policy that periodically obstruct peace process. The Pakistani premier said his government is keen to resolve all outstanding issues with India through dialogue but the resolution to the Kashmir issue is possible only when all the three stakeholders — Pakistan, India, and Kashmiris — are on board.Nawaz Sharif stated this while speaking to the media as well as during his talks with British Foreign Secretary William Hague in London. — TNS