bose
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just trolling... something :fishing:
Foreign secretary S Jaishankar to visit Pakistan
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bose
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It will not be that easy, still China needs to agree and taken on board, although China is also making conciliatory gestures, one never know.
It was formed with the five victorious party after world war - II, now the situations has changed and new power centres has emerged that have to be taken account of.
UN reform is must for representation from all continents and culture...
Free Karma
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US to work with India, Pak for resumption of dialogue: Richard Verma
Brahma Chellaney here reports this:
[tweet]566160179901636610[/tweet]
[tweet]565895846336544772[/tweet]
Brahma Chellaney here reports this:
[tweet]566160179901636610[/tweet]
[tweet]565895846336544772[/tweet]
Last edited:
sorcerer
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This must be what he actually meant
India and Pakistan should try to stabilize Afghanistan as Afghan is India's ally and Pak cannot have a stable Afghan. US military wants (Not US admin) to exit out of Afghan and it needs India and Pakistans help to do that.
Its natural. India an ally of Afghan and Pak the miscreant in Afghan.
Which is needed for the next project which US envisions...Read on!
Which means:
US will concentrate more on China and US needs stable Pakistan to achieve this higher purpose for that India has to align with its interests based on TAPI pipeline than the Iran–Pakistan gas pipeline which China has its interests on,.
As you can see the TAPI conferences picking pace now... meaning US is putting in place containment mechanism on China which is based on its regional interest and India's natural gas interests.(Indian and US visions converge here)
This is NIrvana or :bs: !!! This is where we say "oooohh la la"
Last edited:
sorcerer
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US to work with India, Pak for resumption of dialogue: Richard Verma
Brahma Chellaney here reports this:
[tweet]566160179901636610[/tweet]
[tweet]565895846336544772[/tweet]
Whats next will be economic cooperation on TAPI.
Last edited:
sorcerer
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Is there a confirmation from the PMO that Modi has started off some ground breaking talks?
Don't believe so, it actually seems to intended to equate all south Asian countries and show that Pak has no special significance, similar to Modi inviting all to his swearing-in.
[TWEET]566205894472380416[/TWEET]
sorcerer
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Yeah.the media spins its own story!!
Thanks for the share
anoop_mig25
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How is one going to satisfy Pakisatn on afghan.all that they want is India out.proxy gov so that there whole army can be shifted to indo-pak border rather then presently where half of army is deployed at pak-afgha border
This is more stupidous to satisfy US demand we would giving our life lines to pak admin who would regular choke it and demand increase in price of transmitting oil/natural gas to india .Just like Russia did .How would India ensure that pakistan doesnt has hand on tape which switch off supplies to us
Pakisatn has already said if india doesnot participates in iran-pak line then they can try to extend it to china.presntly china hasnt shown any interest and even iran has not find it to be economical to exented to china..
If india invest in TAPI pipeline that means we would be funding terrorism which would be make havoc in india/jammu kashmir itself
better concentrate on under-water pipeline from oman which is reliable partner we can exented iran pipe to oman why they are not concertinaing on this...
US thinks if India-pak are some how tied economically that they are dependent upon each other the tension can be reduce.
wisfull thinking tension can be reduce in indo-pak region untill and unless kashmir issue is re-solved according to wishes of pakistan
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sorcerer
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Pakistan has a reality called power crisis. US is managing to play that up for the TAPI pipeline with other countries who are interested in TAPI.
Wont such a move affect the supplier(Principal party) which is Afghan? May be the move would be to put onus on Pakistan to ensure the supply to India. Somehow thinking about gives Heebie-jeebies.
anoop_mig25
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Even if pak has power crisis , why should we give our life-line so that can choke them ant-time they want.If pak/US wants TAPI then india must counter demand that it be allowed to trade freely with AFGhAN`s and its vechiles should be allowed to move freely to Ahgans without any security issue under SSARC free tarde agreement / transportation laws
trukmisnstan is princpal party here who wold supply natural gas
Afghans would get their cut in gas as well as delivering charges probably from india-pakistan and in turn pkistain would get share in gas as well as delivering charges from India
How in this would affect afgahns/truk
Truks would probably raise their hand saying that we only supply gas to india delivering is job of Pakisatn and that INdia-pak should sort out their issues...
remember any serious crisis pakisatn would first to switch off line
sorcerer
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Sorry...Turkmenistan.. I didnt review what I wrote.
Pakistan would choke the line or threaten to blow up the pipeline. Thats for sure. BUt this is something the Indian administraion would very well know. They must have a counter..
anoop_mig25
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What Indian administraion would do is demand an issurance that line-would never be chocked.
America may be ready to become gurantor of such insurance but at time of some serious issue like regular attack on border even america would not be able to help
sorcerer
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sorcerer
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Reasons for Despair
Security Concerns
While the economic benefits of a successful, insurgency free, TAPI are listed above, the first and foremost concern of this project is security. Though the consortium is responsible for providing security of the line, it can work only under sovereign guarantees. AON, a risk management services provider company, in a political - risk map of the world in 2011 shows Afghanistan and Pakistan as 'very high risk' countries. Some of the criteria in the country risk profile were risks involved in exchange transfer; war/civil war; strikes, riots, civil unrest,
terrorism; sovereign non payment; political interference; supply chain disruption; legal and regulatory disputes.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan's ability to secure the line even in the presence of the U.S. led coalition forces has been in question; once the NATO forces withdraw from the region in 2014, the doubts will become more grave. A number of districts in Helmand and Kandahar are under Taliban control. A classified United Nations risk assessment map of Afghanistan revealed that the security risks from March to October 2010 in Afghanistan had worsened . There is a strong fear of a resurgence of Taliban forces after the withdrawal of NATO forces. Many believe that any political settlement would include some power sharing agreement between the Taliban and the government in Kabul, while others speculate that the Taliban may be given semi autonomy in the eastern and southern, Pashtun held territories . If either of the options is exercised, the level of governance, the law and order situation and the level of c
ommitment to a project sanctioned by Kabul will become a cause of worry for India.
The pipeline passes through both Pashtun and Baloch dominated areas, where the drug trade is rampant. There is a fear that if the project is successful, it will strengthen
the drug lords because of the economic benefits that will ensue. There are examples of US forces paying the local head of private armies warlords -to guard the supply routes of NATO forces. While in some cases they have managed to secure the area, it has corroded the already unstable authority of the government at the centre.
In response to the insecurity concerning the project, the Afghan government has plans to increase the number of forces to protect the pipeline from 7,000 to 12,000 . In this context, it is good to bear in mind that there are approximately 150,000 US and NATO troops in Afghanistan fighting against a Taliban led insurgency against the Afghan government without much success. The countries involved in the project cannot rely on Afghan forces to guard the line. It has been suggested that Afghan forces could be bolstered with NATO support to protect the pipeline in Afghanistan. However, NATO nations are sceptical about extending their engagement with Afghanistan and the Afghan government would object to such an arrangement. There are examples of repeated closures of pipelines due to the Kurdish separatist armed groups on the Baku-Tabilisi -Ceyhan (Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey) Oil pipeline (launched in 2006), a clear failure of the Turkish military to quell them. Similarly, the US led coalition forces and the Iraqi military have also been unsuccessful in putting an end to attacks by insurgents on the Iraqi oil and gas pipelines. After the assassination of Ahmed Wali Karzai, President Hamid Karzai's brother and the head of Kandahar provincial council and Burhanuddin Rabbani, the former president of Afghanistan, the dynamics of the country have further changed.
Pakistan
The security of the pipeline in Pakistan would be under threat from Lashkar - e -Taiba. With Pakistan's military under severe scrutiny given some recent revelations, the degree of protection that can be provided by the state of Pakistan is questionable.
One of the most crucial problems is that the pipeline passes through Baluchistan which is restive and poor, a lethal combination. Armed clashes between the military and the private militia continue. The South Asian Terrorism Portal reports that there have been at least 126 bomb blasts and grenade explosions across the province in 2009 alone . Rocket attacks on gas pipelines, railway tracks, power transmission lines, bridges, communication infrastructure and government and military facilities occur frequently. Ordons News reports that
three gas pipelines in addition to eight other s, including two high pressure ones were blown up in Baluchistan in a span of ten days in February, 2011 . Under
these circumstances, such a sensitive pipeline, especially one where a disruption will have impact on Pakistan and India, will become a glaring target for the militants.
The South Asian terrorism portal also reports an increase in incidents of targeted killings in Balochistan. There are at least six active insurgent groups in the region. If the government and the military of Pakistan are not able to secure their domestic pipelines, how can they guarantee the security of an international one? In fact, the Asia Times reported on 19
th February, 2011 that the Iran - Pakistan gas pipeline project was declared as officially suspended by Iran, at least until next spring, this in spite of Iran having completed most of the
construction work on its part. This pipeline was supposed to pass through the troubled Baluchistan area. While there might be other reasons for the suspension, it cannot be a coincidence , that this decision was announced after the series of attacks on gas pipelines in the region. In the case of the Iran - Pakistan pipeline, Pakistan is liable to pay $8 million for each day the project is delayed after the end of the deadline . It stands to reason that if TAPI takes off, provisions to cover the losses in case the gas is stopped will be necessary. While it is the responsibility of the consortium to maintain the flow of gas to the countries involved in the project, it will be the death knell of any insurance and re - insurance company given the frequency of the terror attacks. Imposing legal and financial instruments will help ensure that the states conform to the agreement; it will also help boost the efforts to secure the pipeline but it will not have any effect on terrorist activities in the region. India, being the last country in the supply line, is vulnerable. Closely linked to the
security issue is the glaring lack of trust between India and Pakistan. An additional cause for concern stems from the threat of leakages and theft along the route not only in Pakistan, but also in Afghanistan. Pakistan alone is losing around 300 million cubic feet per day causing a loss of almost 20 billion Pakistani rupees. This will give rise to a parallel black market and further fund the war lords in the region.
The resolution
Inviting the Right Stakeholders
The involvement of Russia's Gazprom along with Turkmenistan's Turkmengaz and India's ONGC in the consortium for the construction of this project will help secure the pipeline. These organisations have the geostrategic muscle and technical prowess to secure the project. Gazprom, the Russian energy giant has been involved in the construction of several natural gas pipelines across Europe and Central Asia. With 1580.8 trillion cubic metres, Russia has the largest natural gas reserves in the world. Its production and consumption in 2010 was 588.9 billion cubic metres and 414.1 billion cubic metres respectively. It has a highly developed natural gas industry and is the major supplier to Europe. It has one of the world's best, if not the best, technical expertise and personnel for natural gas pipeline construction through difficult terrains. Gazprom has indicated an interest in becoming a part of TAPI. While Turkmenistan may have a problem with Russia, recent reports suggest that Russia and Turkmenistan could agree on new cooperation projects in the oil, gas and transport industries. A Turkish Weekly news article says that Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister, Viktor Zubkov, and Turkmenistan's Deputy Prime Minister, Rashid Meredov, confirmed the two countries intent t o work together in various fields, particularly energy and the fuel sector.
ONGC India may not have been involved in trans boundary projects but they have developed extensive experience in developing cross country networks of oil and gas pipelines in Indi a. ONGC owns and operates more than 22,000 km of pipelines in India, and its presence in the consortium could be valuable in monitoring in Indian interests
Security Concerns
While the economic benefits of a successful, insurgency free, TAPI are listed above, the first and foremost concern of this project is security. Though the consortium is responsible for providing security of the line, it can work only under sovereign guarantees. AON, a risk management services provider company, in a political - risk map of the world in 2011 shows Afghanistan and Pakistan as 'very high risk' countries. Some of the criteria in the country risk profile were risks involved in exchange transfer; war/civil war; strikes, riots, civil unrest,
terrorism; sovereign non payment; political interference; supply chain disruption; legal and regulatory disputes.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan's ability to secure the line even in the presence of the U.S. led coalition forces has been in question; once the NATO forces withdraw from the region in 2014, the doubts will become more grave. A number of districts in Helmand and Kandahar are under Taliban control. A classified United Nations risk assessment map of Afghanistan revealed that the security risks from March to October 2010 in Afghanistan had worsened . There is a strong fear of a resurgence of Taliban forces after the withdrawal of NATO forces. Many believe that any political settlement would include some power sharing agreement between the Taliban and the government in Kabul, while others speculate that the Taliban may be given semi autonomy in the eastern and southern, Pashtun held territories . If either of the options is exercised, the level of governance, the law and order situation and the level of c
ommitment to a project sanctioned by Kabul will become a cause of worry for India.
The pipeline passes through both Pashtun and Baloch dominated areas, where the drug trade is rampant. There is a fear that if the project is successful, it will strengthen
the drug lords because of the economic benefits that will ensue. There are examples of US forces paying the local head of private armies warlords -to guard the supply routes of NATO forces. While in some cases they have managed to secure the area, it has corroded the already unstable authority of the government at the centre.
In response to the insecurity concerning the project, the Afghan government has plans to increase the number of forces to protect the pipeline from 7,000 to 12,000 . In this context, it is good to bear in mind that there are approximately 150,000 US and NATO troops in Afghanistan fighting against a Taliban led insurgency against the Afghan government without much success. The countries involved in the project cannot rely on Afghan forces to guard the line. It has been suggested that Afghan forces could be bolstered with NATO support to protect the pipeline in Afghanistan. However, NATO nations are sceptical about extending their engagement with Afghanistan and the Afghan government would object to such an arrangement. There are examples of repeated closures of pipelines due to the Kurdish separatist armed groups on the Baku-Tabilisi -Ceyhan (Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey) Oil pipeline (launched in 2006), a clear failure of the Turkish military to quell them. Similarly, the US led coalition forces and the Iraqi military have also been unsuccessful in putting an end to attacks by insurgents on the Iraqi oil and gas pipelines. After the assassination of Ahmed Wali Karzai, President Hamid Karzai's brother and the head of Kandahar provincial council and Burhanuddin Rabbani, the former president of Afghanistan, the dynamics of the country have further changed.
Pakistan
The security of the pipeline in Pakistan would be under threat from Lashkar - e -Taiba. With Pakistan's military under severe scrutiny given some recent revelations, the degree of protection that can be provided by the state of Pakistan is questionable.
One of the most crucial problems is that the pipeline passes through Baluchistan which is restive and poor, a lethal combination. Armed clashes between the military and the private militia continue. The South Asian Terrorism Portal reports that there have been at least 126 bomb blasts and grenade explosions across the province in 2009 alone . Rocket attacks on gas pipelines, railway tracks, power transmission lines, bridges, communication infrastructure and government and military facilities occur frequently. Ordons News reports that
three gas pipelines in addition to eight other s, including two high pressure ones were blown up in Baluchistan in a span of ten days in February, 2011 . Under
these circumstances, such a sensitive pipeline, especially one where a disruption will have impact on Pakistan and India, will become a glaring target for the militants.
The South Asian terrorism portal also reports an increase in incidents of targeted killings in Balochistan. There are at least six active insurgent groups in the region. If the government and the military of Pakistan are not able to secure their domestic pipelines, how can they guarantee the security of an international one? In fact, the Asia Times reported on 19
th February, 2011 that the Iran - Pakistan gas pipeline project was declared as officially suspended by Iran, at least until next spring, this in spite of Iran having completed most of the
construction work on its part. This pipeline was supposed to pass through the troubled Baluchistan area. While there might be other reasons for the suspension, it cannot be a coincidence , that this decision was announced after the series of attacks on gas pipelines in the region. In the case of the Iran - Pakistan pipeline, Pakistan is liable to pay $8 million for each day the project is delayed after the end of the deadline . It stands to reason that if TAPI takes off, provisions to cover the losses in case the gas is stopped will be necessary. While it is the responsibility of the consortium to maintain the flow of gas to the countries involved in the project, it will be the death knell of any insurance and re - insurance company given the frequency of the terror attacks. Imposing legal and financial instruments will help ensure that the states conform to the agreement; it will also help boost the efforts to secure the pipeline but it will not have any effect on terrorist activities in the region. India, being the last country in the supply line, is vulnerable. Closely linked to the
security issue is the glaring lack of trust between India and Pakistan. An additional cause for concern stems from the threat of leakages and theft along the route not only in Pakistan, but also in Afghanistan. Pakistan alone is losing around 300 million cubic feet per day causing a loss of almost 20 billion Pakistani rupees. This will give rise to a parallel black market and further fund the war lords in the region.
The resolution
Inviting the Right Stakeholders
The involvement of Russia's Gazprom along with Turkmenistan's Turkmengaz and India's ONGC in the consortium for the construction of this project will help secure the pipeline. These organisations have the geostrategic muscle and technical prowess to secure the project. Gazprom, the Russian energy giant has been involved in the construction of several natural gas pipelines across Europe and Central Asia. With 1580.8 trillion cubic metres, Russia has the largest natural gas reserves in the world. Its production and consumption in 2010 was 588.9 billion cubic metres and 414.1 billion cubic metres respectively. It has a highly developed natural gas industry and is the major supplier to Europe. It has one of the world's best, if not the best, technical expertise and personnel for natural gas pipeline construction through difficult terrains. Gazprom has indicated an interest in becoming a part of TAPI. While Turkmenistan may have a problem with Russia, recent reports suggest that Russia and Turkmenistan could agree on new cooperation projects in the oil, gas and transport industries. A Turkish Weekly news article says that Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister, Viktor Zubkov, and Turkmenistan's Deputy Prime Minister, Rashid Meredov, confirmed the two countries intent t o work together in various fields, particularly energy and the fuel sector.
ONGC India may not have been involved in trans boundary projects but they have developed extensive experience in developing cross country networks of oil and gas pipelines in Indi a. ONGC owns and operates more than 22,000 km of pipelines in India, and its presence in the consortium could be valuable in monitoring in Indian interests
anoop_mig25
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Above point forgets one point amricans are going out by 2015 ..so no way thet are going to portect this pipleline
this pipeline could only be protected when tablian is given their share of money as well as pray that they donot again capture kabul
MY biggest concern its that indian`s would be paying for Indias destruction second pak admin would have power to choke off supply in case of any issue
so this should be no go at all and even if under pressure from unlce SAM we should show that we are taking but should not proceed ahead with it.I think Indian are master in delaying tactics
till then cocentrate on oman-under water pipe add tran to it later
Compersion
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If all of the nations except for Pakistan improve relations and development statistics with India -> job done.
sorcerer
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Transcript of Media Briefing by Official Spokesperson (February 13, 2015)
- - Excerpts - -
Question:The Prime Minister tweeted this morning that he would be sending the foreign secretary on a SAARC yatra. Will he go to Pakistan and what is the timeline?
Official Spokesperson: Let me try and place this in perspective. You know, cricket is a metaphor for connectivity at the people to people level in those SAARC nations where cricket is popular. You are also aware that the Prime Minister practices multi-layereddiplomacy that is engagement at different levels. There is public diplomacy, there is people to people engagement and of course there is diplomacy at the leadership level. Therefore, Prime Minister's interaction today with those other south Asian leaders from the SAARC was in pursuit of this cricket as a metaphor for connectivity between our people.
In this context, he did contact, as he has himself said, the President of Sri Lanka, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, the President of Afghanistan and the Prime Minister of Pakistan. [/COLOR]He did indicate to them the priority that he places on SAARC and mentioned that the foreign secretary would undertake a yatra. Now, this is not new, because the priority that the government of India places on its relationship with SAARC is not new. The Prime Minister on his first day in office had invited a host of SAARC leaders, all the SAARC countries to be present at his swearing in ceremony.
The external affairs minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj has visited 5 of the 7 SAARC members other than India so far. She is expected to undertake a visit to another neighbor and therefore, when a new foreign secretary has takenoffice, the directive of the Prime Minister that he undertakes a SAARC yatra is in continuity of a policy that has been set on day 1. Now, if your question is, does that include Pakistan? My answer to that is, of course it does. The foreign secretary will visit all SAARC countries, including Pakistan.
Question:When Mr. Jaishankar goes to Pakistan, so are we looking at a resumption of dialogue process which was cancelled off in August?
Official Spokesperson:I think all that I said, you didn't seem to hear. I understand that. Let me repeat it again. I said this was a SAARC yatra. This was engagement or re-emphasis on SAARC. This was a directive by the Prime Minister about India's engagement with the SAARC. You are aware, when Prime Minister was in Kathmandu, he had listed out a series of efforts that India will make towards SAARC. Let me recollect some of them for you. A SAARC's satellite, whose utilitI satin is available to all South Asian nations, partnership between South Asian university and one university each in various countries, medical visas for patients from SAARC along with their companions, vaccines for children in South Asia, SAARC business travelers card. I could list out several others. These are the agenda with which the foreign secretary will go to each of the SAARC countries. If your question is that in addition to this would he utilize the opportunity to discuss bilateral issues, obviously nobody misuses an opportunity which is available.
Question:But, there is resumption of dialogues, isn't it?
Official Spokesperson:Again, let me explain to you, thisis a SAARC yatra. Let me also indicate to you, when diplomats meet, they have met before on sidelines of various events. This is a SAARC yatra in pursuance of Prime Minister's initiatives at the Kathmandu summit last year. I listed out to you a series of areas that India is interested in pursuing and if you say that opportunities may arise for discussion of other elements other than what I've listed, sure, we have a bilateral agenda with all the SAARC countries. We will pursue that bilateral agenda too, given what is possible within the constraints of a short visit to each of these countries.
Question:When is he going to Pakistan in particular?
Official Spokesperson: If your question is, is he leaving this week, my answer is no. If your question is, is he going next week, my answer is no. If your question is, is he visiting Pakistan first, my answer is no. If your question is, anything beyond that, my answer is my vision is limited to two weeks. As you all know, I always announce these just a few days before.
Question:Afghanistan ke President ki Bharat Yatra ke baare me koi abhi vichar ho raha hai kya? Aisi bhi kuch soochnayein aa rahi hain ki Afghanistan ne Bharat ke saath ek bada Arms sauda cancel kar diya hai, to kya iss baare me aapko lagta hai ki Afghanistan Bharat ki bajay China aur Pakistan ko jyada preference de raha hai?
(Is there any news about the upcoming visit of President of Afghanistan? There are some news that Afghanistan has cancelled a big arms deal with India, so do you think that instead of India, Afghanistan is preferring China and Pakistan?)
Official Spokesperson: When Prime minister and President Ashraf Ghani met at the Kathmandu summit of the SAARC, Prime Minister did invite President Ashraf Ghani to visit India at an early date. We are right now, working on modalities for that date. I can assure you that it is our intention that President Ghani visits India at an early date. We are interested in that. President Ghani is interested in that. As there is a proverb in Hindi –jab do taraf razi hain to kya krega koi aur.
Official Spokesperson: India desires a stable, peaceful and independent Afghanistan. To that end, we have a strategic partnership with Afghanistan. Integral to that strategic partnership with Afghanistan is cooperation in the defence sector. That cooperation, the way its proceeds, is based on requests from Afghanistan and our own ability to meet those requests in a manner which we can sustain. That's where we are. Now you are saying that there were requests, you are saying those requests are withdrawn. I am not aware of those. But I would like to give you the framework of our equation with Afghanistan. We desire a peaceful, stable and independent Afghanistan. Our cooperation in defense is geared towards that.
Question: You talked about cricket diplomacy. So, is there any SAARC cricket tournament? Something like that is being planned?
Official Spokesperson:I think those of you who follow cricket at the world cup are aware that the five nations from SAARC are playing among themselves four cricket matches. All of you are interested only in the first match. I understand that, but beyond that while India and Pakistan are in one pool, there are three other SAARC nations who are going to play among each other in the other pool. That is Afghanistan plays Bangladesh, Bangladesh plays Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka plays Afghanistan. So, in a way, it's already underway.
Question: Is foreign secretary of India going to hold bilateral talks with the foreign secretary of Pakistan when he visits Islamabad?
Official Spokesperson:Let me again try and explain to you. Perhaps my skills at explanations are pretty weak and I understand that I am not able to communicate well to you. But let me tell you. Let's put it another way. When the Prime Minister of India invited SAARC leaders here, there were discussions relating to SAARC. There were also discussions relating to issues of a bilateral nature among them. Diplomats and leaders utilize every opportunity to push their agenda. So, India will push its agenda.
Question: Again come back to Pakistan Sir. Do you safely assume that India wants to talk to Pakistan but by proxy?Milna to chahte hain magar chupke-chupke! (They want to meet but don't want to disclose it!)
Official Spokesperson: Isme chupke-chupke kya hai?(There is nothing to hide). Everybody knows that the Prime Minister of India has publicly announced that the foreign secretary of India is undertaking a SAARC yatra.Isme chupke-chupke kya hai? Khullam-khulla hai. (We aren't hiding anything, we are being very open about it).
Question:Sir, jis tarah se Pradhanmantri beech-beech me Pakistan ke Pradhanmantri se Cricket ke naam pe ya pehle bhi baat karte rahe hain, kya hum maanein ki SAARC ke alawa bhi Bharat aur Pakistan bilateral issues par baat kar rahe hain? Officially jisko aapne August me khatm kar diya tha?
(As our Prime Minister spoke with the Prime Minister of Pakistan on cricket or had been talking on other issues also, so should we believe that India and Pakistan are talking on bilateral issues beyond SAARC, which are officially not being discussed since last August?)
Official Spokesperson: India and Pakistan or India and Bangladesh or India and Sri Lanka, when our leaders talk, they utilize opportunities to discuss other things. Cricket was today's main item on the agenda. Other issues, when we talk, we will share it with you. If it is a subsidiary issue, this is separate. But today, world cup is starting tomorrow on the fourteenth. Please get ready. Cricket is in the air. It overtakes foreign policy.
Question:India was said to have set the bar pretty high last year in August, when we cancelled the talks because of the high commissioner's meeting with Hurriyat leaders. So is that condition still there? Will it be there when the FS goes to Pakistan?
Official Spokesperson: I think you haven't heard a word of what I said. I said and the Prime Minister said that the foreign secretary is travelling on a SAARC yatra. I don't know whether the SAARC yatra is what we set the bar on. I will give you a list of things that were in SAARC. I also said, if there are other issues on the agenda, we push those issues on the agenda, but this is a SAARC related yatra which is proceeding from a country which will start off with another SAARC country, I have made it very clear. It will include all SAARC countries, I have made it very clear. It will also include Pakistan. India is focused on the SAARC agenda. I will give you a list. Yes, if there are opportunities, we will push our agenda everywhere.
Question:Apparently Nawaz Sharif has told Obama that he is against the permanent membership of India in UNSC. Do you have any comment on that?
Official Spokesperson: First of all, I will not get into what Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has told President Obama because this is way above my pay grade. But if you like to know our view, our view is that UnitedNationsSecurityCouncil reform today is being discussed from quite sometime in the context of a GeneralAssembly decision. In the UnitedNationsGeneralAssembly, there are novetoes. So, if a country has a different view, they are welcome to that view. We feel that our's is a candidature which has large amount of support for obvious reasons, I will not get into it and therefore, if somebody else has a different view, that is their choice but no country can veto this, because this is in theGeneralAssembly.
Transcript of Media Briefing by Official Spokesperson (February 13, 2015)
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Meaning, the buckling under US pressure is Media invention.
SAARC will be a platform to push INdia's agenda with SAARC nations.
- - Excerpts - -
Question:The Prime Minister tweeted this morning that he would be sending the foreign secretary on a SAARC yatra. Will he go to Pakistan and what is the timeline?
Official Spokesperson: Let me try and place this in perspective. You know, cricket is a metaphor for connectivity at the people to people level in those SAARC nations where cricket is popular. You are also aware that the Prime Minister practices multi-layereddiplomacy that is engagement at different levels. There is public diplomacy, there is people to people engagement and of course there is diplomacy at the leadership level. Therefore, Prime Minister's interaction today with those other south Asian leaders from the SAARC was in pursuit of this cricket as a metaphor for connectivity between our people.
In this context, he did contact, as he has himself said, the President of Sri Lanka, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, the President of Afghanistan and the Prime Minister of Pakistan. [/COLOR]He did indicate to them the priority that he places on SAARC and mentioned that the foreign secretary would undertake a yatra. Now, this is not new, because the priority that the government of India places on its relationship with SAARC is not new. The Prime Minister on his first day in office had invited a host of SAARC leaders, all the SAARC countries to be present at his swearing in ceremony.
The external affairs minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj has visited 5 of the 7 SAARC members other than India so far. She is expected to undertake a visit to another neighbor and therefore, when a new foreign secretary has takenoffice, the directive of the Prime Minister that he undertakes a SAARC yatra is in continuity of a policy that has been set on day 1. Now, if your question is, does that include Pakistan? My answer to that is, of course it does. The foreign secretary will visit all SAARC countries, including Pakistan.
Question:When Mr. Jaishankar goes to Pakistan, so are we looking at a resumption of dialogue process which was cancelled off in August?
Official Spokesperson:I think all that I said, you didn't seem to hear. I understand that. Let me repeat it again. I said this was a SAARC yatra. This was engagement or re-emphasis on SAARC. This was a directive by the Prime Minister about India's engagement with the SAARC. You are aware, when Prime Minister was in Kathmandu, he had listed out a series of efforts that India will make towards SAARC. Let me recollect some of them for you. A SAARC's satellite, whose utilitI satin is available to all South Asian nations, partnership between South Asian university and one university each in various countries, medical visas for patients from SAARC along with their companions, vaccines for children in South Asia, SAARC business travelers card. I could list out several others. These are the agenda with which the foreign secretary will go to each of the SAARC countries. If your question is that in addition to this would he utilize the opportunity to discuss bilateral issues, obviously nobody misuses an opportunity which is available.
Question:But, there is resumption of dialogues, isn't it?
Official Spokesperson:Again, let me explain to you, thisis a SAARC yatra. Let me also indicate to you, when diplomats meet, they have met before on sidelines of various events. This is a SAARC yatra in pursuance of Prime Minister's initiatives at the Kathmandu summit last year. I listed out to you a series of areas that India is interested in pursuing and if you say that opportunities may arise for discussion of other elements other than what I've listed, sure, we have a bilateral agenda with all the SAARC countries. We will pursue that bilateral agenda too, given what is possible within the constraints of a short visit to each of these countries.
Question:When is he going to Pakistan in particular?
Official Spokesperson: If your question is, is he leaving this week, my answer is no. If your question is, is he going next week, my answer is no. If your question is, is he visiting Pakistan first, my answer is no. If your question is, anything beyond that, my answer is my vision is limited to two weeks. As you all know, I always announce these just a few days before.
Question:Afghanistan ke President ki Bharat Yatra ke baare me koi abhi vichar ho raha hai kya? Aisi bhi kuch soochnayein aa rahi hain ki Afghanistan ne Bharat ke saath ek bada Arms sauda cancel kar diya hai, to kya iss baare me aapko lagta hai ki Afghanistan Bharat ki bajay China aur Pakistan ko jyada preference de raha hai?
(Is there any news about the upcoming visit of President of Afghanistan? There are some news that Afghanistan has cancelled a big arms deal with India, so do you think that instead of India, Afghanistan is preferring China and Pakistan?)
Official Spokesperson: When Prime minister and President Ashraf Ghani met at the Kathmandu summit of the SAARC, Prime Minister did invite President Ashraf Ghani to visit India at an early date. We are right now, working on modalities for that date. I can assure you that it is our intention that President Ghani visits India at an early date. We are interested in that. President Ghani is interested in that. As there is a proverb in Hindi –jab do taraf razi hain to kya krega koi aur.
Official Spokesperson: India desires a stable, peaceful and independent Afghanistan. To that end, we have a strategic partnership with Afghanistan. Integral to that strategic partnership with Afghanistan is cooperation in the defence sector. That cooperation, the way its proceeds, is based on requests from Afghanistan and our own ability to meet those requests in a manner which we can sustain. That's where we are. Now you are saying that there were requests, you are saying those requests are withdrawn. I am not aware of those. But I would like to give you the framework of our equation with Afghanistan. We desire a peaceful, stable and independent Afghanistan. Our cooperation in defense is geared towards that.
Question: You talked about cricket diplomacy. So, is there any SAARC cricket tournament? Something like that is being planned?
Official Spokesperson:I think those of you who follow cricket at the world cup are aware that the five nations from SAARC are playing among themselves four cricket matches. All of you are interested only in the first match. I understand that, but beyond that while India and Pakistan are in one pool, there are three other SAARC nations who are going to play among each other in the other pool. That is Afghanistan plays Bangladesh, Bangladesh plays Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka plays Afghanistan. So, in a way, it's already underway.
Question: Is foreign secretary of India going to hold bilateral talks with the foreign secretary of Pakistan when he visits Islamabad?
Official Spokesperson:Let me again try and explain to you. Perhaps my skills at explanations are pretty weak and I understand that I am not able to communicate well to you. But let me tell you. Let's put it another way. When the Prime Minister of India invited SAARC leaders here, there were discussions relating to SAARC. There were also discussions relating to issues of a bilateral nature among them. Diplomats and leaders utilize every opportunity to push their agenda. So, India will push its agenda.
Question: Again come back to Pakistan Sir. Do you safely assume that India wants to talk to Pakistan but by proxy?Milna to chahte hain magar chupke-chupke! (They want to meet but don't want to disclose it!)
Official Spokesperson: Isme chupke-chupke kya hai?(There is nothing to hide). Everybody knows that the Prime Minister of India has publicly announced that the foreign secretary of India is undertaking a SAARC yatra.Isme chupke-chupke kya hai? Khullam-khulla hai. (We aren't hiding anything, we are being very open about it).
Question:Sir, jis tarah se Pradhanmantri beech-beech me Pakistan ke Pradhanmantri se Cricket ke naam pe ya pehle bhi baat karte rahe hain, kya hum maanein ki SAARC ke alawa bhi Bharat aur Pakistan bilateral issues par baat kar rahe hain? Officially jisko aapne August me khatm kar diya tha?
(As our Prime Minister spoke with the Prime Minister of Pakistan on cricket or had been talking on other issues also, so should we believe that India and Pakistan are talking on bilateral issues beyond SAARC, which are officially not being discussed since last August?)
Official Spokesperson: India and Pakistan or India and Bangladesh or India and Sri Lanka, when our leaders talk, they utilize opportunities to discuss other things. Cricket was today's main item on the agenda. Other issues, when we talk, we will share it with you. If it is a subsidiary issue, this is separate. But today, world cup is starting tomorrow on the fourteenth. Please get ready. Cricket is in the air. It overtakes foreign policy.
Question:India was said to have set the bar pretty high last year in August, when we cancelled the talks because of the high commissioner's meeting with Hurriyat leaders. So is that condition still there? Will it be there when the FS goes to Pakistan?
Official Spokesperson: I think you haven't heard a word of what I said. I said and the Prime Minister said that the foreign secretary is travelling on a SAARC yatra. I don't know whether the SAARC yatra is what we set the bar on. I will give you a list of things that were in SAARC. I also said, if there are other issues on the agenda, we push those issues on the agenda, but this is a SAARC related yatra which is proceeding from a country which will start off with another SAARC country, I have made it very clear. It will include all SAARC countries, I have made it very clear. It will also include Pakistan. India is focused on the SAARC agenda. I will give you a list. Yes, if there are opportunities, we will push our agenda everywhere.
Question:Apparently Nawaz Sharif has told Obama that he is against the permanent membership of India in UNSC. Do you have any comment on that?
Official Spokesperson: First of all, I will not get into what Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has told President Obama because this is way above my pay grade. But if you like to know our view, our view is that UnitedNationsSecurityCouncil reform today is being discussed from quite sometime in the context of a GeneralAssembly decision. In the UnitedNationsGeneralAssembly, there are novetoes. So, if a country has a different view, they are welcome to that view. We feel that our's is a candidature which has large amount of support for obvious reasons, I will not get into it and therefore, if somebody else has a different view, that is their choice but no country can veto this, because this is in theGeneralAssembly.
Transcript of Media Briefing by Official Spokesperson (February 13, 2015)
===
Meaning, the buckling under US pressure is Media invention.
SAARC will be a platform to push INdia's agenda with SAARC nations.
