Pakistan’s foreign secretary had, on Monday, called in the Indian high commissioner in Islamabad and handed over a letter, formally inviting Indian foreign secretary S. Jaishankar for talks on the Kashmir issue.
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Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was willing to attend talks on the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart, the sources said, stressing that cross-border terrorism was central to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir state.
“Looking at the neighbourhood, we clearly face a unique challenge in respect to one country which is Pakistan”, he added.
Foreign Office Wednesday said that Pakistan wants to resolve all outstanding disputes with India through dialogue.
New Delhi accuses Islamabad of arming and training the militants fighting to end Indian rule in Jammu and Kashmir.
India and Pakistan have been engaged in a war of words over Pakistan and its prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s statements on the situation in Kashmir which has been witnessing unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
India’s response is being reviewed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He said that the nomenclature PoK means that the territory is an integral part of India and the accession of Kashmir to India is an issue which was settled decades ago.
An outpouring of support followed Modi’s remarks on Pakistani atrocities in Balochistan, with the Baloch Republican Party, Baloch National Party and Balochi dissidents and exiles in Europe and U.S. seeking India’s intervention.
Mr. Khurshid had said that Balochistan was Pakistan’s internal matter, warning that bringing it into public discussion would weaken India’s claim on POK. “We are ready to go along with the government if there is a consistent, stable, long-term policy on these issues”, Singhvi said.
He said all the political parties in the country have time and again assured the government of their support in curbing cross border terrorism.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi should first account for the alleged “atrocities” committed by India in Kashmir before talking about Balochistan, Pakistan’s main Opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto said today and vowed to maintain the country’s sovereignty at every cost.
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Not only Barbs were exchanged between Singh and Pakistan Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who only had a tense and uneasy handshake during the SAARC meeting, but also the Pakistani authorities had denied the entry of Indian media.
