Pak says India has scuttled opportunities for dialogue on Kashmir

Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Tuesday said India has “scuttled all opportunities for meaningful dialogue” on Kashmir over the past two decades.

A statement issued by the Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) quoted Aziz as further saying that over years, New Delhi’s proposals for a dialogue on Kashmir with Islamabad lacked credibility, reports the Dawn.

His statement came days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a multilateral resolution of the Kashmir dispute before his two-day official visit to New Delhi, which the Indian government predictably rejected.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay had said, in a veiled reference to Pakistan that the Kashmir issue has a “prominent dimension of cross-border terrorism” that needs to be stopped by “those who are perpetuating it, while pushing for a bilateral solution to the issue.

Tensions have simmered between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir issue since the end of 2016. Cross-border exchanges of fire have been reported sporadically since the New Year began. (ANI)