Foreign Secy-level talks between India, Pakistan to be resumed

New Delhi, Aug 14 (UNI) India today said it has not called off the peace process with Pakistan and the deferred Foreign Secretary-level talks will take place at ''the appropriate time''.

India is interested in sustaining and carrying forward the peace process with Pakistan if it stopped terrorist activities from its land, Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahmad told the Rajya Sabha.

Responding to the concerns of the senior BJP leader and former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha on the issue during the Zero Hour, he said the government has told the Pakistan Government in clear terms that the peace process would continue provided it dismantled the terrorist training camps operating on its land and stopped aid to terrorists in India.

He said the date for resumption of foreign secretary level talks will be announced later.

Mr Sinha had asked the government to clarify its stand on the bilateral process in the wake of ''some reports that it had conveyed to Pakistan that it was ready to solve the Kashmir issue on the basis of the pre-1953 status''.

The former minister brought the issue in the context of the originally-listed subject of the expulsion and humiliation of Indian diplomat Deepak Kaul on the ground that his activities were incompatible with his diplomatic status.

Mr Ahmad said India has conveyed its strong protest to the Pakistan Government over the accusations levelled against Mr Kaul, his handcuffing, blindfolding and interrogation by a Pakistani agency.

It has told Pakistan that the treatment meted out to Mr Kaul was against all norms of the Vienna Convention.

Mr Sinha demanded that there should be a discussion in the House over the Kashmir issue and the peace process and the Government should come out with a clear cut stand.

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