Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran says the ongoing peace process with Pakistan can move forward only if there is a commitment by Islamabad to abandon cross-border terrorism.
He made the remark at a foreign ministers' meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation or SAARC in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His comment was rejected immediately by Pakistan's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Tasnim Aslam.
She also rejected Saran's charge that Pakistan has jeopardized the South Asian Free Trade Agreement by failing to implement key tariff reductions for Indian exports to Pakistan. Saran said the issue concerns all seven members of SAARC and could be resolved when the foreign ministers meet on Tuesday.
Saran is expected to meet with his Pakistani counterpart, Riaz Mohammad Khan, on the sidelines of the SAARC conference.
It will be their first meeting since India delayed the peace talks following the Mumbai train blasts on July 11th, which India linked to Pakistan-based militants.
He made the remark at a foreign ministers' meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation or SAARC in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His comment was rejected immediately by Pakistan's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Tasnim Aslam.
She also rejected Saran's charge that Pakistan has jeopardized the South Asian Free Trade Agreement by failing to implement key tariff reductions for Indian exports to Pakistan. Saran said the issue concerns all seven members of SAARC and could be resolved when the foreign ministers meet on Tuesday.
Saran is expected to meet with his Pakistani counterpart, Riaz Mohammad Khan, on the sidelines of the SAARC conference.
It will be their first meeting since India delayed the peace talks following the Mumbai train blasts on July 11th, which India linked to Pakistan-based militants.