India Pakistan Foreign secretaries talk: Kashmir issue and Pathankot attack dominate talks

New Delhi: Foreign secretary S. Jaishankar offered his Pakistan counterpart coffee and quiche. But Pakistan had a different menu in mind - Kashmir and alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav. Sharp differences in priorities on Tuesday  hit the first meeting between the foreign secretaries since the Pathankot attack, hobbling attempts to revive a stalled dialogue on which their Prime Ministers have staked their personal diplomatic capital. The only agreement between Jaishankar and Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry was to "remain in touch," after an hour-long meeting on the margins of the Heart of Asia conference on Afghanistan, senior officials from both nations said.

But the meeting made clear that even keeping the comprehensive bilateral dialogue - agreed to when foreign minister Sushma Swaraj visited Islamabad last December - just alive will not be easy. Chaudhry insisted the Kashmir dispute stay at the centre of bilateral talks and held up the arrest of Jadhav as evidence of Indian attempts at destabilising Pakistan. He also referred to recent comments by NIA chief Sharad Kumar that they had no evidence against a key accused in the 2008 Samjhauta Express blasts, in which 42 Pakistanis died, to suggest India needed to do more against terrorism. Jaishankar rejected the charges that India was trying to foment separatist movements in Pakistan, insisting on "early and visible progress" in the Pathankot attack probe and demanding consular access to Jadhav. India insists he was not a spy and was abducted from Iran, where he worked as a businessman. "Foreign secretary Jaishankar clearly conveyed that Pakistan cannot be in denial on the impact of terrorism on the bilateral relationship," foreign ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said after the meeting. The foreign secretaries sat at right angles on two sides of a coffee table in Jaishankar's office. On the table were cups of tea and coffee, and plates of quiche and patties. Both sides insisted they were willing to discuss all outstanding disputes, and were keen to revive the comprehensive dialogue that received thrust from Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif when the Indian leader visited Lahore last Christmas. The Indian foreign office called the talks "frank and constructive". Pakistan's foreign ministry said the meeting provided a "useful opportunity" to discuss concerns. But Pakistan made clear that Tuesday's talks would not suffice as the meeting where the foreign secretaries are assigned to draw up a road map for multiple parallel negotiations on differences ranging from Kashmir to water spats. The two countries had agreed that the foreign secretaries would meet in Islamabad for that road map, before the meeting - originally scheduled for January 15 - was postponed because of the January 2 attack on the Pathankot airbase. Jaishankar would need to travel to Pakistan if India wanted to revive talks, Chaudhry suggested. "The foreign secretary underscored the need for early commencement of comprehensive dialogue for which the Indian foreign secretary's visit to Pakistan is due," the Pakistan foreign ministry said. Indian officials insisted that the revival of the comprehensive dialogue would depend on quick progress in probes into the Pathankot attack and the Mumbai terror strikes. Jaishankar also quizzed Chaudhry on Pakistan's reluctance to allow the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar in a UN sanctions list. But Chaudhry threw back at Jaishankar comments by the NIA chief earlier this month suggesting the agency had no evidence against Lt. Col. Purohit, a former Indian army officer accused of plotting the Samjhauta Express blasts. "The foreign secretary also conveyed concern over the environment being created in India for the release of the prime suspects of the Samjhauta Express blasts," the Pakistan foreign office statement said. By evening, the failure to arrive at any meaningful breakthrough became evident, when Chaudhry skipped a dinner hosted by the foreign office for the delegations of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Pakistan foreign secretary flew back home just after 7pm. Despite weeks of back-and-forth discussions over the alleged spy arrested by Pakistan, the two sides remained unable to even conclude on a single name for him. India insists his name is Jadhav, while Pakistan had repeatedly called him Yadav and on Tuesday referred to him as Jadev. -The Telegraph Calcutta