This idiot Bassit needs to be sent back to Pakistan pronto! He's a loose cannon.
Why's that a problem for us? we can use his slip-ups as a stick to beat Pakistan.
Btw, objectively speaking, he hasn't really transgressed the official line which both countries have taken. If you see the video carefully again the reporter asks
"is the composite..um..or comprehensive dialogue or whatever it is called...is that still on?" and he said NO. Which is actually the case since we were the ones who took that stance in the Ufa statements.
India's position was that India and Pakistan will talk, the talks will only be about terrorism, when there is a forward momentum then we will talk about the composite dialogue. After a few months of drama, Sushma Swaraj again started 'comprehensive dialogue' but don't get fooled by the name, it says the same thing that we said in Ufa : There will be talks on terrorism first and then
talks about resuming talks on other things. Bassit was responding in that spirit when he said that the talks are off. He didn't suspend the talks, we did. I'm glad we did and even managed to whip him with our own stick. It's just that this egghead is full of hot air like all Pakistanis so he spoke with an air of contempt, which worked against him as far as Indian public perception is concerned. The government and media jumped at the opportunity and used it to whop Pakistan. That's the kind of diplomacy I'd like the government to be following. Don't allow him too much wriggling room to execute any of his own plans, keep him embroiled in controversies perpetually so the Pakistani side ends up walking on eggshells.
Btw,
@Screambowl peacetalks have ended, yes, but they had ended on 26/11 itself and never really started. We have managed to indefinitely postpone commitment on talks with Pakistan. It's actually a victory of Indian diplomacy if we were able to do so while putting the blame of cancelling the talks squarely on Pakistan. I wouldn't be surprised the nondescript reporter was planed there by Doval.
On another note, it's extremely unprofessional for a journalist to refer to the process as 'composite or comprehensive
or whatever it is called', bitch you are the one asking the question, you are supposed to be specific about what you want to ask, don't you know what it's called? These are the people we rely on to deliver accurate news to 1.3 billion Indians and beyond? Have you ever heard any Russian reporter say 'cold war, or chill war, or snow fight, or whatever it was called'? The journalists in India are one of the most third rate professionals you will ever find compared to any other profession. She had one simple question to ask and she managed to mess it up by showing her callous attitude towards diplomatic terminologies.