Monday, September 24, 2018

Pakistan-India Talks Fail Before the First Nuclear War


PAKISTAN Prime Minister Imran Khan labelled India arrogant on Saturday for cancelling what would have been the countries' first high-level talks in years, decrying "small men occupying big offices" who opposed change.

India on Friday called off the meeting between the nuclear-armed neighbours' foreign ministers, planned for the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly this month.
The foreign ministry in New Delhi said its decision to scrap the meeting was to protest the killing of Indian security personnel in Kashmir and a Pakistani postage stamp it said was "glorifying" an anti-India separatist who Indian forces killed in the disputed Himalayan region last year.
Pakistan described India's reasons as excuses to enable it to avoid holding talks before national elections next year.
Mr Khan, a former national cricket captain, followed up on Twitter.
Mr Khan wrote on his official account: “Disappointed at the arrogant and negative response by India to my call for resumption of the peace dialogue.
"However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture."
Resumption of talks have been stalled for years over the issue of Kashmir, claimed by both countries and ruled in part by each of them. Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars since independence from Britain in 1947 over the region.
The Indian government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi government has insisted that Pakistan act against Islamist militants Kashmir, saying Pakistan still aids the groups from the portion of Kashmir it rules.
 
Pakistan denies aiding any attacks there and says it is fighting militant groups for its own security.
The breakthrough appeared to been made after Mr Khan made an appeal to Indian premier Narendra Modi to end the fraught relations between the two nuclear powers.
Pakistan foreign minister Mehmood Qureshi said the decision to scrap talks was "unforunate".
He said: "We had already told India that if they take one step towards us, we will take two.
"However, it seems that they faltered after taking just one step."
The Indian foreign ministry announced the decision to cancel talks citing two reasons.
As well as the killing of an India soldier in Kashmir, officials raged at the release of 20 postage stamps containing the image of Burhan Wani, a militant killed by India in 2016.
The Indian ministry said: "Any conversation with Pakistan under such an environment would be meaningless."

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