(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Pakistan on Saturday has regretted the Indian preconditions for official talks between national security advisors (NSA) of both the countries, said the Foreign Office.
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, said the Office, Furthermore, it said that Pakistan had proposed a comprehensive agenda, consistent with the decisions taken by the two Prime Ministers in Ufa, which included discussion on all outstanding issues, including Kashmir and tranquility on the Line of Control.
However, regrettably, the Indian side's desire to restrict the agenda to terrorism related issues only, amounts to a negation of the decisions taken by the two Prime Ministers, said the Foreign Office.
Pakistan's Advisor on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Sartaj Aziz in a news conference in Islamabad, rejected the Indian alibi that Pakistan is trying to distort the agenda of talks agreed at Ufa.
He made it clear that the three-point agenda proposed by Pakistan is fully in line with the Ufa statement, rejecting the Indian assertion that Pakistan has imposed new conditions for the talks.
He said, "In fact it is India which has introduced a new condition through its advice that Pakistan should not meet Hurriyat-Kashmir leaders." Sartaj Aziz said that although the cancellation of the meeting has not been confirmed but if it happens that it will be disappointing and regretful. He called upon the international community to take notice of the Indian attitude. "On my part, I am still prepared to go to New Delhi for NSA talks without any preconditions," he added.
Earlier on Friday, Pakistan conveyed to India that it would not be possible to accept Indian "advice" that Pakistani Foreign Secretary may not meet Hurriyet-Kashmiri leaders during his forthcoming visit to India.
The NSA level meeting scheduled to be held on August 23, was decided when Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi held a meeting in Russia last month.
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