NEW DELHI: Congress has asserted that it would be "fruitless" to hold any talks with Pakistan when it was not interested in peace with India even as it accused the Narendra Modi government of making "constant flip flops" in its foreign policy towards the neighbouring country.
Party mouthpiece 'Congress Sandesh' further said that the nation's "peace policy" should not be seen as a "weakness".
"The constant loss of lives of our armed forces personnel and, now, in large numbers, of even civilians, is a clear indication that it is a fruitless effort to have talks with the Pakistani establishment.
"Let our peace policy not be seen as a weakness but be converted to our strength. This is no time for talks. Pakistan's actions at the border have to be brought to a conclusive halt so that sanity prevails in any talks," the party said.
Three civilians, including two women, were killed and 17 others injured as Pakistani troops pounded border areas of Jammu with heavy shelling and firing on August 28.
"Does the NDA government... have a foreign policy especially vis-a-vis Pakistan, or it is being implemented whimsically with constant flip-flops on its stated position. "The stated policy of the NDA, whether now or during the (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee era... has been that there is no logic to holding talks while our borders are being attacked," the party further said.
Congress said that the more than 40 incidents on our borders in the recent days and the nabbing of a terrorist from Pakistan show that the real powers in the neighbouring country are not interested in any peace with India.
Targeting Modi, Congress said that after "displaying a 56-inch chest" in matters of tackling terrorists acts and violations at our border, the "anxiety" of this government to hold NSA-level talks with Pakistan was inexplicable.
The NSA level talks were called off over a week ago after India made it clear that Kashmiri separatist leaders would not be allowed to meet Pakistani NSA Sartaj Aziz during his visit here.
The decision on the meeting of NSAs and heads of border guards was taken during talks between Prime Minister Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Russia on July 10.