Congress attacks government for uncertainty over Indo-Pak foreign secretary talks

New Delhi: Tearing into Modi government's Pakistan policy, Congress on Monday faulted it for continued uncertainty over Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level talks, saying foreign policy is not conducted in such a way. "The talks with Pakistan are scheduled in four days. Till Monday, it is not clear whether they will be held or not...it is not the way foreign policy is conducted," party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told reporters.

He said no less a person than the National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval has "further compounded and confounded the confusion" that seems to have become this government's "hall mark" as far as dealing with extremely serious and sensitive issues of national security are concerned.

Singhvi said the NSA was reported to have told a newspaper in an interview that there would be "no peace talks now till Pakistan takes action against Pathankot terrorists and India is satisfied with Pakistan's efforts" and then denied the entire interview.

He said since just 4 days are left for the scheduled talks, rather than "attempting riddles and compounding the crisis", it will be good if the NSA and the Prime Minister told the nation about actions and responses in the wake of the Pathankot terror attack.

The Congress spokesman said government should tell the nation as to what are the 'actionable proofs and evidences' it has given to Pakistan and whether the Government of Pakistan acted on these evidences and to what extent.

The Prime Minister, he said, should also tell whether India is satisfied with Pakistan's actions. "Are these actions sufficient enough to surmount the earlier stand of the Prime Minister as also the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj that 'talks and terror can't go ahead simultaneously'?" he asked.

The nation is yet not clear about the happenings in Pathankot and the direction thereafter, 10 days after the "embarrassing mumbling" of Senior Ministers and "high optics" aerial survey by the Prime Minister, he said. "Can the nation expect a clear statement by the External Affairs Minister or a spokesperson on this issue?" he wanted to know.