Comprehensive dialogue marks a 'new beginning': Sushma

The new 'Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue' will result in a "new beginning" in ties between India and Pakistan, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj on Monday said. "The new (Comprehensive Bilateral) Dialogue, we sincerely hope, marks a new beginning also for peace and development in the whole region ... The new Dialogue with Pakistan has the twin aims of removing hurdles in the path of a constructive engagement by addressing issues of concern, and at the same time, of exploring and establishing co-operative ties," Swaraj said.
Making a statement on her visit to Pakistan in both Houses of Parliament, Sushma Swaraj hoped that the renewed dialogue between India and Pakistan will open a new chapter of peace and development in the region. "The new dialogue, we sincerely hope, marks a new beginning also for peace and development in the whole region," she said. However, Sushma Swaraj said India had emphasised the need to speed up the judicial process in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack by Pakistani terrorists.
The Minister said her meetings with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and senior official Sartaj Aziz in Islamabad were held in the backdrop of "positive developments" of the talks by the two national security advisers. "Both sides condemned terrorism and resolved to cooperate to eliminate this menace. There we dwelt on the need for Pakistan to expedite the Mumbai terrorist attack trial. "The Indian side was assured of the steps being taken to expedite its early conclusion. This government accords the highest priority to the country's security. In order to meet the threats, the government will take all steps, including through diplomatic channels."
"At the same time, the government is also committed to building an environment of peaceful and co-operative relations with all our neighbours, including Pakistan, so that the efforts for peace and development in South Asia, initiated by the government on the day of assuming office itself, are taken further forward," she said.
The minister said there were two aims of the dialogue: addressing the issues of concern through dialogue and establishing cooperative relations. Swaraj made it clear in Parliament that during the meeting between the National Security Advisers (NSAs) of India and Pakistan in Bangkok, the issue of Jammu and Kashmir being impacted the most due to terrorism and cross-border firing was discussed.
"Discussions between the two NSAs in that meeting were held in a candid, cordial and constructive atmosphere. They focused on peace and security, terrorism, tranquility along the Line of Control, and Jammu & Kashmir - the State which has been most directly impacted by terrorism and violation of the LOC," she claimed. The NSA-level meeting in Bangkok, which happened between India's Ajit Doval and Pakistan's Nasser Khan Janjua, was an outcome of a meeting between Modi and Sharif on the Paris Climate Change summit or COP21.
Reiterating India's "commitment to good neighbourly ties with Pakistan", Swaraj said the Narendra Modi-led government had made it clear to Pakistan in the beginning itself that both sides would discuss all outstanding issues. She highlighted that "continued estrangement" with Pakistan will only act as an obstacle towards having a "peaceful and prosperous" South Asian region. The statement was made earlier in the Rajya Sabha amid din as Congress members trooped near the chairman's podium and shouted slogans.
While the statement was barely audible in Rajya Sabha, the Lok Sabha was in order when the statement was made post lunch. The foreign secretaries will work out the schedule and modalities for the dialogue, she said. "I would like to assure the House that this government accords the highest priority to the country's security. In order to meet any threats in this regard, the government will take all steps, including through diplomatic channels," she said.
The Heart of Asia process too was devoted to security and connectivity and the conference provided an important opportunity for political consultations and regional cooperation to reiterate India's commitment to Afghanistan's stability and development, she said. "During the Ufa meeting, (Modi) was extended an invitation by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to visit Islamabad for attending the SAARC Summit in 2016," she said, without saying if Modi will visit Pakistan. Swaraj's statement was largely inaudible because the opposition repeatedly called for a stop to proceedings in the House. She read out the statement as several opposition MPs entered the well and shouted slogans.