He said the foreign secretary of Pakistan had sent a letter to his Indian counterpart for talks on Kashmir.
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India rejected Pakistan’s proposal to hold Foreign Secretary-level talks on Kashmir and asserted that it would like to discuss aspects related to cross-border terrorism which are central to the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Also, the northern part of India bordering Pakistan” and Kashmir both lack basic infrastructure, the article said.
CPI (M)’s former general secretary Prakash Karat, in an editorial in the upcoming issue of party mouthpiece “People’s Democracy”, said: “The Modi government has, instead of addressing alienation and demands of Kashmiri people, sought to convert the problem into an India-Pakistan confrontation”.
Pakistan posed a unique challenge because of having a different view on terrorism, Jaishankar said here at an interaction with journalists.
“Balochistan is an integral part of a democratic Pakistan and follies of a dictator can not empower the Indian Prime Minister to speak on our internal issues”, he said.
BJP targeted Congress alleging that some of its leaders are seen offering support to Pakistan after Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought up Balochistan and PoK in his Independence Day speech.
The attack on Pathankot air base earlier this year by Pakistan-based terrorists just six days after Modi’s goodwill visit to Lahore seems to have convinced Modi and his advisors of the futility of pursuing dialogue with Pakistan, Curtis noted.
However, India also pushed for talks on “certain other issues”, they added.
In a tit-for-tat escalation in the war of words between the nuclear-armed neighbours, Modi said he had received messages of support from leaders in restive regions of Pakistan, in particular the troubled southwestern province of Baluchistan. Mr. Zakaria also claimed that India was referring to Balochistan to cover up its human rights violations in Kashmir.
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Last week, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had announced Pakistan was ready for dialogue with India on Kashmir, in response to which India listed issues that must be addressed before any progress is possible.
