[1]Against the backdrop of chill in relations over the beheading incident, India today said ties with Pakistan can move forward in a “sensible and calibrated” way once the “dust settles”.
“I think it is important that we let little time go by so that the dust, as it was, settles. Then in a sensible and calibrated manner we can move forward,” external affairs minister Salman Khurshid told reporters here.
He was asked to comment on recent remarks of Pakistan high commissioner Salman Bashir on the killing of soldiers on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. Bashir has in television interviews denied Pakistan Army’s involvement in the beheading of an Indian soldier.
Khurshid said the situation on the Line of Control was “a lot better than it was a few days back”.
“I would simply say, we should not react to every statement. I don’t think that every statement made in the domestic context should necessarily be treated as the last word,” Khurshid said.
On Pakistan foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar’s suggestion for talks with her Indian counterpart to reduce tension, Khurshid said her media statement cannot be described as an offer.
“Well clearly it can’t be described as an offer. I think there were suggestions on how to move forward and the possibility that it could be done one way or the other. And of course the suggestion came through the media,” he said.
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[1] http://archive.asianage.com/salman-khurshidjpg-474