New York: External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Thursday that it was Pakistan who “spoiled the game” by talking with Hurriyat leaders in Kashmir.
Union Foreign Minister Swaraj said, “New government has given a new signal. So they (Pakistan) spoiled the talks, they spoiled the game.”
Notify that India had last month cancelled the Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan to protest against a meeting between Kashmiri separatist leaders and Islamabad’s envoy to New Delhi.
Sushma Swaraj had sharply reacted over Aziz’s remarks that talks between the two countries can happen only if New Delhi takes the initiative since India was the one which cancelled the August 25 talks.
Sushma said, “No question of first or second. As far as our reaction is concerned we have said repeatedly that if a reaction had to come it had to come at this time only. The initiative was there from our side.”
She also said that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had invited Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his swearing-in ceremony.
She said Sharif had suggested that foreign secretaries should meet for bilateral talks and “we agreed to that.”
She asked, “But just as the talks are about to happen on the 25th (August), four days prior to that the (Pakistani envoy) is talking with Hurriyat leaders, then who spoiled the game.”
Bureau Report
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