No short-cuts to diplomatic processes, Congress tells NDA government

Congress on Monday reminded the Narendra Modi government that there are "no short-cuts to diplomatic processes" as India called off the Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan next week.

"The BJP-led government has learnt it the hard way that there are no short-cuts to diplomatic processes particularly those having a long history," Congress Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Amarinder Singh said in a press release.

Acting tough, India called off Foreign Secretary- level talks with Pakistan next week and conveyed a blunt message that it was interfering in India's internal affairs by holding talks with Kashmiri separatists which was "unacceptable".

The Congress leader said that while it was a "diplomatic indiscretion" on part of Pakistan, "the Government of India also appeared not to have done its homework properly before deciding to go ahead with such high level talks." He said while peace between the two countries is the paramount need of the hour, the NDA government must ensure that a peaceful posture is not taken to be any sort of weakness.

"Unfortunately, the out of way bonhomie extended to the Pakistan leadership, despite killing of our soldiers along the border, besides attempts at infiltration and ceasefire violations appears to have been taken as weakness which the NDA government must address seriously and urgently," Singh said.

Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh was to travel to Islamabad on August 25 to hold talks with her Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Chaudhry, nearly two years after the Indo-Pak talks were stalled due to incidents along the LoC.