India coming up with frivolous pretexts: Pak on NSA talks

Islamabad, Aug 21: Pakistan tonight said it was "deeply disappointed" at India putting forth "pre-conditions" for NSA-level talks, accusing it of going back on the decision mutually agreed at the highest level by coming up with "frivolous pretexts".

On a day of of intense sparring, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson said, "We are deeply disappointed at the statement of the Spokesperson of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, putting forth pre-conditions for official talks to take place with Pakistan at the level of the National Security Advisors.

Drawing a redline, India had earlier made it clear to Pakistan that a meeting between Kashmiri separatists and Pakistan National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz during his visit here was not appropriate.

Aziz is due to meet them on Monday morning. Pakistan reacted strongly to insist that it would not depart from the "established past practice" of interacting with separatist Hurriyat leaders, rejecting India's advice not to go ahead with their meeting with Aziz.

In the late night statement, the Pakistan foreign office spokesman said, "These talks, which were scheduled to take place on 23 and 24 August, flowed from a decision taken by the two Prime Ministers on July 10, in the Russian city of Ufa."

"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," he said Tension between the two countries has increased alarmingly as a result of frequent violations on the Line of Control and Working Boundary, in the past months.

"The need of the hour was for the two countries to engage in sincere and serious dialogue to immediately reduce tensions and to undertake the task of normalization of relations, with sincerity and seriousness," he said.

PTI