NEW DELHI: Even as the BJP-led Government is pressing ahead with the NSA-level talks with Pakistan, senior party leader and former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said that such an exercise would be a “dialogue of the deaf” and that the saffron party had deviated from its policy on the neighbouring country.
Sinha said the saffron party had in the past maintained that no bilateral talks should be held till Pakistan stopped sponsoring terrorism.
He cited the increased cross-border terror strikes such as Udhampur and Gurdaspur attacks to buttress the point. However, the BJP said the government’s position was that the talks were key to resolving the issues between India and Pakistan and that the “whole country” was aware of it.
“Pakistan knows our stand and so does the whole country,” said party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain. “If we want talks and if Pakistan wants it too, as it keeps telling the world that India is not talking while they want it, then they should take a decision taking into account our stand. There is no need to clear party stand again and again.”