New Delhi: The Indo-Pak joint statement issued on Thursday, that delinked terror from dialogue, has come in for sharp criticism from Opposition parties.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) says Pakistan is continuing to sponsor terrorism in India and what India has agreed to is a sellout to Pakistan. So what are the controversial points of the statement?
- Action on terrorism will be delinked with the composite dialogue process
- Some interpret this as a softening of india's position
- The Indian government said this was no climbdown, in fact the opposite
The Prime Minister said while Pakistan had demanded a resumption of the composite dialogue, India made it clear that terrorism needed to be addressed first.
But what could also be seen as a downside for India is the reference to threats in Balochistan - an oblique reference to allegations by Pakistan of Indian involvement in the region.
The Prime Minister said India agreed to this because it had an open book policy and has nothing to hide.