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Citizens For Democracy Deplores Cancellation of Secretary Level Talks by India with Pakistan

19 August 2014

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CITIZENS FOR DEMOCRACY
D-7/2, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi.
President : Kuldip Nayar
Gen. Secretary: N.D.Pancholi

Dt. 18th August, 2014

PRESS STATEMENT

New Delhi’s decision to cancel Foreign Secretary level talk with Pakistani part deplored.

Citizens For Democracy deplores the decision of India for cancelling the Foreign Secretaries level talk between India and Pakistan which was scheduled to be held on25th August, 2014 in Islamabad. The reason for cancellation is trivial and a non-issue. This decision is a significant drift in the foreign policy which shows that Modi government has decided to follow a policy of aggressive nationalism which insists that Kashmir is a part of India irrespective of the wishes of the people of Kashmir. This kind of nationalist approach has attachment to the land of Kashmir and not to the people of Kashmir. This decision flies in the face of what Narendra Modi had declared in his independence speech that he wants to govern by consensus, not by majority. He also called upon the SAARC countries to join hands to fight poverty. The disproportionate military expenditure incurred by both countries i.e. India and Pakistan, as a result of continuous animosity over the issue of Kashmir is a continuous drain on the economic resources of both the countries and one of the major causes of growing poverty of their respective people. Poverty cannot be fought by flexing muscles on hollow nationalist slogans. The present government should be wise enough to know that no solution reached by India and Pakistan will work out satisfactorily unless it is acceptable to the majority of the people of Kashmir. This policy of aggressive nationalism will further increase the alienation of the people of Kashmir.

Therefore Citizens For Democracy urges upon the present government to approach the issue of Indo - Pakistan relations in a sensible manner keeping in view the larger interest of the people in the region, and not to be swayed by jingoism which will earn for it only disdain and contempt of the civilized world, besides being disastrous for India in many respects..

N.D.Pancholi, General Secretary
(M) 9811099532