New Delhi: The BJP wants the government to call off talks with Pakistan. Party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Why should India talk under pressure. We cannot have talks at any cost. Pakistan has no desire to tackle terrorism."
Briefing newspersons in New Delhi, Prasad also cornered the Prime Minister on his talks with Pakistan in Sharm-el-Sheikh in July 2009. He questioned how Baluchistan was included in the agenda when on Thursday the Indian Foreign Minister in Islamabad said that Pakistan had not provided "even a shred of evidence" of India's involvement in Baluchistan. "We want to ask Prime Minister Manmohan Singh why Baluchistan was included in the declaration in Sharm-el Sheik."
The BJP reiterated that it regrets that as SM Qureshi slammed India's Home Secretary, GK Pillai, at a joint press conference last night, India's Foreign Minister SM Krishna did not defend Pillai.
"The comparison took place in front of you, of Hafiz Saeed, an international terrorist to the Indian home secretary, and you stayed silent. It is deeply regrettable, while we seriously condemn the utterances of Mr Quereshi against the home secretary of India; we deeply regret the silence of India's foreign minister," said Prasad.
The Foreign Affairs Minister must explain his silence, Former External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha told NDTV earlier in the day. "He should have contradicted him immediately and set the record straight," said Sinha. (Watch: Krishna should have contradicted Pak FM: Yashwant Sinha | Talks should be called off: Yashwant Sinha)
Pillai's comments, made in an interview to the Indian Express, said that David Coleman Headley, arrested by the US for planning and executing 26/11, had disclosed, "ISI had a much more significant role to play in Mumbai attacks... ISI was literally controlling and coordinating the attacks from the beginning till the end." Headley was interrogated in America recently by Indian officials. Qureshi slammed that remark of Pillai's, describing it as "uncalled for."
Briefing newspersons in New Delhi, Prasad also cornered the Prime Minister on his talks with Pakistan in Sharm-el-Sheikh in July 2009. He questioned how Baluchistan was included in the agenda when on Thursday the Indian Foreign Minister in Islamabad said that Pakistan had not provided "even a shred of evidence" of India's involvement in Baluchistan. "We want to ask Prime Minister Manmohan Singh why Baluchistan was included in the declaration in Sharm-el Sheik."
"The comparison took place in front of you, of Hafiz Saeed, an international terrorist to the Indian home secretary, and you stayed silent. It is deeply regrettable, while we seriously condemn the utterances of Mr Quereshi against the home secretary of India; we deeply regret the silence of India's foreign minister," said Prasad.
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Pillai's comments, made in an interview to the Indian Express, said that David Coleman Headley, arrested by the US for planning and executing 26/11, had disclosed, "ISI had a much more significant role to play in Mumbai attacks... ISI was literally controlling and coordinating the attacks from the beginning till the end." Headley was interrogated in America recently by Indian officials. Qureshi slammed that remark of Pillai's, describing it as "uncalled for."
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