India’s goodwill window for Pak is closing: Parrikar

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had opened a “window of goodwill and dialogue” with Pakistan, but it was slowly closing due to lack of sincerity by Islamabad, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said here on Saturday.

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“Prime Minister Modi opened a window of opportunities when he visited Pakistan Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif). I think that window is slowly closing. Before it closes, Pakistan needs to develop that trust with India on its sincerity on the approach,” he said here at the Shangri-La Dialogue while referring to PM’s surprise visit to Lahore in December last year.

The India-Pakistan talks, which had started during external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Islamabad for the Heart of Asia conference, were derailed after the January 2 attack on Pathankot airbase in which seven Indian security personnel were killed.

India has accused Pakistanbased Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group for the attack and has linked the resumption of the dialogue process to the action taken by Pakistan against the group.