“They must have though in the interest of the country and taken the decision (of detaining the separatist leader)”, he added.
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“The main objective of the meeting is to reduce tension on the LoC”, Aziz said. That composite dialogue can truly be called a dialogue between two parties.
Pakistan Foreign office had said in Islamabad that consultations with Hurriyat leaders were a “routine matter” and a “long standing practice”. “If Pakistan does not agree, the talks will not happen”.
India’s foreign ministry has said it would be inappropriate for Aziz to hold talks with representatives of the Hurriyat separatist movement before his meeting on Sunday with Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval.
Pakistan does not disregard agreements or understandings. It is the Indian side which has reneged on commitments agreed upon between the two heads of the government in the past year.
India has long argued Pakistan shelters or sponsors militant groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is accused of being behind an attack on the financial capital Mumbai that left 166 people dead in 2008.
Kashmir is a disputed territory as per the UN Security Council resolutions which remain unimplemented. He expressed concern over the detention of Hurriyet leaders by Indian forces in Occupied Kashmir.
“We have made it clear to Pakistan that hosting of Kashmiri separatists will be contrary to the spirit of the Ufa understanding”.
The Congress party also raised a lot of questions about the conduct of foreign policy by the Modi government. India has always held the position that there are only two stake holders in our relationship, not three. Skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani troops in Kashmir have also increased in recent months. “India remains committed to discussing issues with Pakistan bilaterally and peacefully”, Swaroop was quoted as saying by ANI.
Islamabad: Pakistan on Friday said India “was making excuses” to avoid talking to Islamabad. There has been a pattern to Pakistan’s actions after the Ufa Summit and today’s position is a culmination of that approach.
The minister said Pakistan’s NSA Sartaj Aziz was welcome to India if the country restricts the subject of talks to terror. “After all, the Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders are genuine stakeholders in efforts to find a lasting solution to the Kashmir dispute”, it said.
Hurriyat leader Shabbir Shah was detained along with his two aides at the New Delhi airport Saturday as soon as he disembarked from the Srinagar to New Delhi flight.
India has officially advised Pakistan to avoid Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz’s meeting with pro-independence leaders of Kashmir, Indian media reports on Friday.
The talks seem to be facing a roadblock after Pakistan on Friday rejected India’s “advice” of not holding talks with Jammu and Kashmir’s separatist leaders.
Aziz said: “I urge Mr Modi to ponder over the most important part of the Ufa statement, that it is collective responsibility to promote development and think of all ways and means to initiate dialogue between the two countries”.
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Noting that “extraneous” issues are being used to throw spanner in the process of talks, he said that the exercise is being exploited by those who influence border issues in Pakistan against India. There is also talk that the central government may detain the Hurriyat leaders in Delhi if they turned up for talks with Aziz.
