Pakistan NSA to skip talks in India on Afghan situation

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2

Pakistan is attempting to play the spoiler in resolving the situation in Afghanistan with its National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf stating today that he would not travel to India for an upcoming conference being hosted by his counterpart Ajit Doval.

Ties hit a low

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• Pakistan’s Foreign Office had confirmed the invitation from India but said the decision would be taken at an appropriate time
• Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said the decision would be based on the state of relationship between the two neighbours
• A curt no by NSA Moeed Yusuf laid to rest a possibility of thaw in ties between Pakistan and India

Talking down the role of India as a peacemaker in Afghanistan, Yusuf told the media in Islamabad that he would not attend the conference being hosted by India on November 10. Pakistan’s Foreign Office had earlier confirmed the invitation from India, but said a decision would be taken at an appropriate time based on the prevailing state of relationship between the two countries.

India had sought to keep the momentum going after the Moscow talks that had seen Pakistan and India on the same table along with representatives of the Taliban.

At the Moscow talks, the Indian diplomat had also engaged with the Taliban delegation. But New Delhi is unlikely to invite the group for the November 10 talks.

In spite of deciding not to turn up for the talks in India, Yusuf said Pakistan could not disengage with Afghanistan. “It may be a luxury for the Western world sitting 10,000 miles away, but we do not have any option to disengage from Afghanistan,” he said.

He reiterated Pakistan’s stance that the world should coordinate and constructively engage with the present Afghan government to avert a humanitarian crisis.