Mr Khurshid said that India is evaluating the evidence that the three terrorists who carried out the attacks in J&K were from Pakistan.
New York:
The twin terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir will not derail talks between India and Pakistan, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has said.
"There is no alternative. There are forces that do not want the India-Pakistan situation to be normalised. If we succumb (to these forces) we are playing into Satan's hands. The roots of the event will have to be addressed, and that will need some kind of engagement with our neighbour," Mr Khurshid told NDTV in New York, on the sidelines of a UN meeting.
The Prime Minister has been slammed by the Opposition for going ahead with plans to hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif during his visit to the US even after Thursday's twin terror attacks in which 10 people, including an Army officer, were killed. BJP leader Sushma Swaraj tweeted to say there can't be any talks over dead bodies. But Mr Khurshid defended the government's stance and said, "Most people who are critical do not have alternative options. I will be happy if an alternative is suggested."
Adding that India is evaluating the evidence that the three terrorists who carried out the attacks in J&K were from Pakistan, Mr Khurshid said, "Once our side is clear about what happened, we will speak to our Pakistani counterparts."
"We know that there is infrastructure that encourages, supports and organizes such attacks. But countries talk via established governments. And especially since Mr Sharif was democratically elected by the Pakistani people who also want him to serve that mandate," he said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to address the UN General Assembly in New York tomorrow, and is expected to meet Mr Sharif on Sunday. Mr Khurshid said he did not want to predict whether this meeting will make or break the future relationship between the two countries. "All I can say is this is a very important meeting with the two prime ministers, we will have to wait for the outcome, not predict it," he said.
"There is no alternative. There are forces that do not want the India-Pakistan situation to be normalised. If we succumb (to these forces) we are playing into Satan's hands. The roots of the event will have to be addressed, and that will need some kind of engagement with our neighbour," Mr Khurshid told NDTV in New York, on the sidelines of a UN meeting.
The Prime Minister has been slammed by the Opposition for going ahead with plans to hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif during his visit to the US even after Thursday's twin terror attacks in which 10 people, including an Army officer, were killed. BJP leader Sushma Swaraj tweeted to say there can't be any talks over dead bodies. But Mr Khurshid defended the government's stance and said, "Most people who are critical do not have alternative options. I will be happy if an alternative is suggested."
Adding that India is evaluating the evidence that the three terrorists who carried out the attacks in J&K were from Pakistan, Mr Khurshid said, "Once our side is clear about what happened, we will speak to our Pakistani counterparts."
"We know that there is infrastructure that encourages, supports and organizes such attacks. But countries talk via established governments. And especially since Mr Sharif was democratically elected by the Pakistani people who also want him to serve that mandate," he said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to address the UN General Assembly in New York tomorrow, and is expected to meet Mr Sharif on Sunday. Mr Khurshid said he did not want to predict whether this meeting will make or break the future relationship between the two countries. "All I can say is this is a very important meeting with the two prime ministers, we will have to wait for the outcome, not predict it," he said.
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