India says it is committed to Ufa joint statement

ISLAMABAD: Taking note of the press conference by Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz on Monday, New Delhi says that remarks by Aziz will not affect the future engagements and India is committed to follow the Ufa joint statement.
India says it was looking forward for implementation of the decisions agreed upon in the meeting. The statement that was produced was less a jointstatement and more the “best sense of what was said during the PMs meet,” said the official, who conceded that it was drafted “in a hurry”.
Senior officials in background briefings to Indian journalists went into damage control mode as the Indian electronic media attacked Aziz and said he had taken a U-turn, while officials on Tuesday clarified that Aziz was playing to the galleries at home (domestic audience).and this was understandable.
“India is looking forward for implementation of the decisions agreed upon in the meeting. The joint statement is a ‘considered, honest, accurate and reasonable summary of the substance of the talks’,” the officials maintained adding: “Don’t pass a judgment on a process that hasn’t begun. That’s like deciding what will happen in the last over of a game before the first ball.”
The dilemma is that Pakistan side had no Pakistani media so that reports could reach here and upon arrival it was Sartaj Aziz and Special Assistant Tariq Fatimi who burnt the midnight oil to update curious minds and respond to criticism.
In New Delhi, the problem was that the entire team of their Foreign Office was still traveling with their prime minister, and only after Pakistani diplomats started airing their version, a background briefing was arranged for journalists in Delhi.
Indians are also asking why Modi did not bring up the name of Hafiz Saeed, India’s most wanted man and concentrated on Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, where he told Nawaz Sharif, “Most Indians will cite the Lakhvi bail case as proof for the reason they think Pakistan is

unreliable.”
Officials say that it was Modi’s idea to have a joint media interaction by foreign secretaries of both the countries after the talks following which the two sides drafted the statement.
“The fact that he (Aziz) is offering additional comments obviously speaks of a certain situation there,” said the officials. They said one should not “pre-judge” possible outcome of a process which is yet to start and the joint statement was like a summary of what was actually said and agreed upon at the meeting and it was prepared with great rapidity, adding that it was signed by the Pakistani side.
“They (Pakistan) did not do the first turn, how can they make a U-turn. Do not jump the gun,” pleaded the officials. The Hindu reported that the controversy over the cooperation on the Mumbai trial in Pakistan and the promise on voice-samples, the government has chosen to leave its stand vague, while Pakistan government has made it clear it is demanding them as “more evidence is needed” to convict the 26/11 trial accused.
“When Mr Aziz and Mr Doval meet, they are only committed to discuss ways and means of expediting the 26/11 trial,” said the source. “So where is the question of Pakistan or India backtracking already?”
In his explanation, Aziz has said Kashmir would move to the “back channel” and that it remained at the “top of the issues”. To this, the official asked, “If so, why isn’t it in the joint statement?”