Cong accuses govt of ‘clumsiness’ in dealing with Pak

Amid uncertainty over the NSA-level talks, the Congress on Friday said the Modi government had made a “laughing spectacle” of itself through its “clumsiness” in dealing with Islamabad by unwittingly shifting focus from terror to Kashmir.

Amid uncertainty over the NSA-level talks, the Congress on Friday said the Modi government had made a “laughing spectacle” of itself through its “clumsiness” in dealing with Islamabad by unwittingly shifting focus from terror to Kashmir.

“The government has achieved exactly the opposite of what it set to achieve,” party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said as he accused the ruling party of failing to do the required groundwork before the talks.

“It is unfortunate that the government has been making a laughing spectacle of itself on the management of talks even before talks started with an imploding and ostracised Pakistan,” he said.

The Congress also reminded the government that the foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries were called off by it in August last year after Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit met Kashmiri separatist leaders.

“The same Hurriyat is now again eager to talk to Pakistan,” Singhvi said.

Attacking the ruling coalition in J-K, Singhvi said, “Is foreign policy a joke? The three Cs — Consistency, Coherence and Continuity — are missing in Indian foreign policy. Who is making India’s foreign policy? Is it the PM alone? Or PM & PMO? Or IB or NSA? Is Nagpur the remote control making India’s foreign policy?”