Pakistan on Saturday canceled the upcoming much publicized top security officials’ talks with arch-rival India over “pre-conditions”, the Foreign Ministry said. The Indian External Affairs Ministry had sent an “advice” to Pakistan to avoid meeting with the Kashmir leaders, however, the proposal was rejected.
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The arrest was made soon after Shah landed at Delhi airport from Srinagar for a proposed meeting with Pak NSA Sartaj Aziz.
Pakistan’s ambassador in New Delhi has invited the Kashmiri separatist leaders to meet Aziz before his meeting with his Indian counterpart tomorrow.
“We have also sought confirmation of our understanding of the agenda for the NSA-level talks that was conveyed to the Pakistani side on 18 August 2015″, Mr Swarup added. They are saying that they will come for talks and present whatever they want to say.
“If the only objective of NSA level talks is to discuss terrorism, then instead of improving the prospects for peace it will only intensify the blame game and further vitiate the atmosphere”.
Shah is scheduled to attend the reception party of Pakistan National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz on Sunday and he was the first separatist leader to reach Delhi.
Lone was taken to his rented residence in South Delhi and has been put under house arrest.
While Shah and two other separatist leaders were detained in the morning, moderate Hurriyat Conference leader Bilal Lone was detained from the airport on Saturday evening. During their tenure, they never blocked us from meeting Pakistani officials when they came to India…
The detention of the separatist leaders drew flak from Pakistan’s NSA and former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah.
Several other separatist leaders – Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Showkat Bakshi, Ghulam Rasool Eidi and Syed Ali Geelani – plan to fly to New Delhi to meet Aziz.
Police in Indian Kashmir confirmed Shah’s detention in New Delhi.
“This is the second time that India has chosen to go back on a decision mutually agreed upon between the two Prime Ministers, to engage in a comprehensive dialogue, by coming up with frivolous pretexts”, Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman said.
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Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan is claimed by both in full. The two countries have fought two wars over control of Kashmir since they won independence from Britain in 1947.
