No interest in meeting her: When Jaishankar cancelled meet with US lawmaker

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's US visit caught attention due to an abruptly cancelled meeting with a US lawmaker.

Jaishankar was scheduled to meet the leaders of the US Senate as well as the leadership of the US House of Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC).

The Senate visit went ahead as planned but the meeting with the Congress leaders was abruptly cancelled due to the presence of Indian-American lawmaker Pramila Jayapal.

Jayapal has been a vocal critic of the current government in India. She even pushed for a resolution asking New Delhi to lift all restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir.

India has maintained that any matter related to Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter and has rejected any foreign intervention.

On Thursday, Jaishankar had said that he has "no interest" in meeting Jayapal.

"I am aware of the draft resolution. I don`t think it is a fair understanding of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir or fair characterisation of what the Indian government is doing. I have no interest in meeting her," he said.

"No Foreign Minister of any independent country should be pressurised into meeting such politicians with their own agendas," MEA sources said as quoted by news agency ANI.

54-year-old Jayapal had introduced the resolution, co-sponsored by Republican Steve Watkins, that urges India to lift the communication clampdown, release political detainees and "preserve religious freedom for all residents" in Jammu and Kashmir. 

(With inputs from ANI)