Sooner or later dialogues can sort India-Pak issues: Abdul Basit

Outgoing Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit on Tuesday said that Hizb-ul-Mujahideen's Syed Salahuddin, who is designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorist on India's suggestion by US, is not a terrorist.

While speaking to ANI, Basit said,''Syed Salahuddin is not a terrorist as far as Pakistan or people of J&K are concerned. We criticize this decision on part of US.''

''Whatever he is doing is seen in Pakistan and in J&K that he is struggling for right to self determination,'' said Outgoing Pak envoy Abdul Basit.

He further said,''Such allegations were made in past against Hurriyat but nothing came out, don't know where will these investigations go. As far as Hurriyat is concerned we strongly feel that they represent political aspirations of people of J&K.''

Pakistan envoy further said,''Confident that sooner or later both the countries will resume the dialogue process because that is the way forward.'' NSAs (of India and Pakistan) are in touch with each other.

We have made some progress when it comes to Mumbai trial;in order for two countries to put closure on it we need cooperation.

Speaking on house arrest of Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Basit said,''Post Mumbai (attack), we did put him (Hafiz Saeed) under house arrest but for lack of enough evidence we had to release him.''

He is still under house arrest, we're trying to gather more evidence. If there is enough evidence available to try him, will do that.

He also said that India should not expect to provide consular access to Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, condemned to death for espionage and his involvement in subversive activities, for his was not an ordinary case.

''As far as issue of consular access is concerned, let us see what happens and how things unfold at ICJ,'' Abdul Basit on said on Kulbhushan Jadhav consular access.

We need for India to reconsider position. Important for Indian foreign secretary to visit Pakistan, talk abt talks & finalize modalities for negotiations.

Foreign Secy Jaishankar was scheduled to visit Pakistan on 15th January, Pathankot happened on 2nd January.

We could understand if the visit was delayed for a week or two but delaying it indefinitely was not in the right spirit.

India should have allowed that visit to take place, and that would have helped to retain the spirit of cooperation on Pathankot.

OneIndia News