India and Pakistan blame each other

INDIA and Pakistan blamed each other for the cancellation of talks between their national security advisers that were scheduled for this week, with the rivals squabbling over the agenda.

The meeting scheduled for today in New Delhi would have restarted dialogue between the nuclear-armed neighbours a year after India cancelled talks because Pakistan had consulted Kashmiri separatists.

“The cancellation of talks at the level of the national security advisers is unfortunate. It’s Pakistan which has cancelled the talks and not India,” Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh said yesterday, adding that the possibility of any future dialogue would depend on Pakistan.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry issued a statement late on Saturday, rejecting India’s suggestion to restrict the meeting to issues related to terrorism. Pakistan was keen on discussing the dispute over Kashmir and meeting Kashmiri separatist leaders.

Pakistan’s national security adviser, Sartaj Aziz, did not travel to New Delhi yesterday as planned. He was scheduled to meet today with his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval.

Uncertainty about Aziz’s trip began on Friday when India said it would not be “appropriate” for him to meet separatist leaders from Indian-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan’s high commissioner to New Delhi had invited Kashmiri leaders to meet Mr Aziz.

“It has been pointed out repeatedly that it has been a longstanding practice that whenever Pakistani leaders visited India during the past 20 years, they have been meeting (separatist) leaders,” Pakistan’s statement said.

It added: “It would be inappropriate for India to now impose the condition of changing this long-standing practice.”