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| Modi Govt should not have called off Foreign Secretary level talks: Soz | | | | Srinagar, Aug 18 : Stating that Government of India should not have called off Indo-Pak foreign secretary level talks scheduled to take place in Islamabad on August 25, Prof Saif-u-Din Soz, former union minister and president Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) on Monday said Narendra Modi led government should not make pretexts for calling off such important meetings. Soz said: "What Manish Tewari commented was a reminder to Modi led government that BJP was criticizing Congress unnecessarily. He never demanded that foreign secretary level talks must be called off." Tewari had questioned the Modi led Government's silence over Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit's invitation to Kashmiri separatist leaders for talks before the foreign secretaries of the two countries meet in Islamabad on August 25. Soz said that Modi led government should not have used such pretexts to call off foreign secretary level talks. "Yes we know that Hurriyat leaders have not achieved much by visiting Pakistan high commission but the government of India could have taken up this issue on the margins of foreign secretary level talks."Earlier during the day, Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit met separatist leader Shabir Shah in the first of a series of meetings planned over three days. Just after calling off the foreign secretary level talks, the foreign ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said India had asserted "in clear and unambiguous terms that Pakistan's continued efforts to interfere in India's internal affairs is unacceptable." The PCC president said that since Modi has said that he wants to improve relations with Pakistan, he should have not made invitation to separatists or anything else a pretext to call of the meeting. "The visit of Najma Helptulla and Ram Jethmalani to Kashmir indicated that government of India wanted to hold dialogue with separatists and these things keep on happening on a broader level. At least the foreign secretary level talks should have continued," Soz added. |
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