Are Indo-Pak talks off the track yet again?

New Delhi: Hopes of normalisation in ties following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to Pakistan last December appear to be getting dashed.

Analysts say there is unlikelihood that the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue (CBD), agreed upon last year by the two countries, is going to start/resume anytime soon.

The Times of India reports that the planned meeting between the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries doesn't appear to be materialising.

 

And the reasons behind the setback to normalisation of ties are many.

- The recent announcement by the United States that it is proceeding with planned sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. While India has registered its protest with Washington over the move, Islamabad has expressed surprise and disappointment with New Delhi's reaction. The US has justified the sale as "critical" to the success of Pakistan's counter-terrorism operations.

 

- Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf's recent confession that Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists were being trained by the ISI for operations against India.

 

- Revelations by David Headley, convicted in the US for his role in the 26/11 attacks, that ISI officials and other Pakistani agencies were involved in the Mumbai attacks.

 

- Pakistan's failure to take concrete action against 26/11 attacks masterminds as well as against whose who carried out the recent attack on the Pathankot Air Force base. India has blamed JeM for the attack on the airbase but Pakistan has yet to confirm any action against its chief Maulana Masood Azhar.

Like before, the moves to bring peace talks back on track appear to be failing yet again.