Pakistan maintained it would not depart from the “established past practice” of interacting with the separatist leaders.
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The separatist leaders, Parra said, should allow the NSA talks to be held in a cordial atmosphere.
Pakistan said today it push ahead with the meeting with Kashmiri separatist leaders despite India’s “advice”. This was the only agenda set for them by the two Prime Ministers.
“Pakistan wishes to reiterate its abiding commitment to promoting a relationship of cordiality and cooperation with all its neighbours, including India, in pursuance of the Prime Minister’s vision of a peaceful neighbourhood”, the Foreign Office said.
Pakistani High Commission in India has invited some Kashmiri leaders for a reception to be hosted in honor of Sartaj Aziz on August 23. Responding, Pakistan said it would not adhere to India’s “advice”. In fact, we took the initiative to engage at Ufa. “It’s so obvious that Ufa & now these planned NSA talks are under worldwide pressure with both Ind & Pak hoping the other will pull out”, he said. Pakistan though wants to widen the scope of talks by bringing up the Kashmir dispute and linking it with the issue of terrorism.
Pakistan Foreign office had already said in Islamabad that consultations with Hurriyat leaders were a “routine matter” and a “long standing practice”.
It is also understood that India has conveyed that it is ready for the “Ufa spirit of the talks to be implemented on the ground” and has asked Pakistan not to give a “distorted interpretation”.
Pakistan’s political and military leadership held a meeting on Friday which was chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and was also attended by Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif. But, unilateral imposition of new conditions and distortion of the agreed agenda can not be the basis for going forward.
“Kashmir is a disputed territory as per the UN Security Council resolutions which remain unimplemented”, the spokesman said.
Pakistan has regretted the Indian pre-conditions for official talks between national security advisors of both the countries.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Radio Pakistan’s Current Affairs Channel, APHC leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq has regretted Indian attitude towards dialogue.
Kashmiri separatist leaders had been briefly detained before being released on Thursday in a clear signal to Pakistan.
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Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his party’s three-day central committee meeting which began here today, Yechury said “everyone knows” that talks between Pakistan and the separatist leaders could not have taken place in the past “without Indian Government’s sanction”. “While terrorism is a grave concern, any India-Pakistan talks without Kashmir on the agenda is not going to make much of a headway”.
