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No chance of talks with Pakistan on Kashmir, says India

Reuters
New DelhiUpdated: Aug 16, 2016, 05:24 PM IST
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'I think over the last few days, what has become clear is that Pakistan cannot have this double standard on everything. Like 'good terrorists, bad terrorists',' said Kohli (left). Photograph:(Getty)
India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday said there was no chance of discussing the volatile border state of Kashmir with Pakistan in the wake of the recent militant attack in the northern Kashmir province.

Pakistan recently invited India to a dialogue on Kashmir, saying it is the "international obligation" of the two countries to solve the matter.

India virtually turned down Islamabad's proposal and said it would talk only on "contemporary and relevant" issues in India-Pak relations.

BJP leader Nalin Kohli said Pakistan should not interfere with the domestic concerns of India.

"I think over the last few days, what has become clear is that Pakistan cannot have this double standard on everything. Like 'good terrorists, bad terrorists' and when they have massive human rights violations and other problems in Balochistan, Gilgit and other parts of their country; use their Air Force to bomb their own citizens, in such a circumstance, they can be pretending and interfering in the domestic concerns of another country, that is India," said Kohli in New Delhi.

Kashmir has witnessed violent protests since July 8, when security forces killed a field commander of Pakistan-based Islamist militant group Hizbul Mujahideen, who enjoyed widespread support in the Muslim-majority region.

Kashmir also saw an upsurge in violence on Independence Day on Monday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country would not bow to terrorism and accused neighbour and archrival Pakistan of glorifying it.

Indian troops killed a total of seven militants on Monday in two incidents, five of them gunmen who had attempted a cross-border incursion and two more, who had attacked a Srinagar police station. One officer died in the police station shootout.

Defence expert Qamar Agha said after the repeated ceasefire violations and infiltration bids, India will not tolerate a proposal from Islamabad on talks on Kashmir.

"Now, India will not tolerate any kind of interference in India and Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and their meddling will not be accepted at any cost," said Agha.

Meanwhile, leader of opposition Congress party Tom Vadakkan said the government should take appropriate steps to ensure the security of the country.

"We do not have to take the bait all the time that Pakistan provokes us. It is important for the government of the day to examine it very closely and take an appropriate step to ensure that the interest of this country, the security and the integrity of this country is maintained. Our policy line should remain unchanged," said Vadakkan.

Kashmir is at the centre of a decades-old rivalry between India and Pakistan, which also rules its northern part, and backed an insurgency in the late 1980s and 1990s that Indian security forces largely crushed.

Both countries claim Kashmir in full.

(Reuters)