Cong questions need for going ahead with talks

Congress on Saturday questioned the need for going ahead with the Indo-Pak NSA-level talks unless there are tangible deliverables.

“We would advise the government unless there are firm assurances of tangible deliverables and outcome, there is no purpose in going ahead with the talks,” senior party leader Anand Sharma told reporters.

As Pakistan insisted on discussing Kashmir during the talks, Sharma said Pakistan was using the build up to NSA level talks for propaganda purposes against India’s interests.

“Extraneous” issues are being used to throw spanner in the process of talks, he said adding that the exercise is being exploited by those who influence border issues in Pakistan against India. Warning the government against giving “a larger than life profile to Hurriyat”, Sharma said Hurriyat does not represent people of Jammu and Kashmir and is “unrepresentative and unrepresentable”.