Pakistan reiterates its stance for talks with India

ISLAMABAD (TIP): Pakistan on Sept 10 reiterated its stance for talks with India saying there would be no talks with New Delhi unless the issue of Kashmir was on the agenda.

“Any formal talks with New Delhi would have Kashmir as part of the agenda,” Qazi Khalilullah, foreign office spokesperson, said during his weekly press briefing in Islamabad.

At the same time, the spokesperson said, Pakistan will also not accept any pre-conditions for talks with India. He further said that there was no proposal under consideration for a meeting between National Security Advisers of India and Pakistan on the sidelines of UN General Assembly meeting. The 70th Regular Session of the UN General Assembly will start on September 15.The general debate of UNGA session will take place from September 28 to October 6.

The planned NSA-level talks between India and Pakistan, scheduled for August 23 and 24, had been cancelled hours before they were due to start. Pakistan had said that it could not accept India’s “preconditions” for the talks, while New Delhi was saying that it was only willing to discuss “terrorism-related issues” at the talks and nothing else.

Sushma Sawaraj, Indian foreign minister, had also said India did not recognise a third party in talks with Pakistan, referring to Pakistan’s invitation to Hurriyat leaders for a meeting in Delhi.

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