A day after India agreed to Pakistan’s proposal to hold talks between the foreign ministers of the two countries on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly in New York, New Delhi on Friday cancelled talks after three special officers were abducted and killed in Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi said the decision was taken in the face of brutal killings of security personnel by Pakistani entities and the recent release of 20 postal stamps by the neighbouring country glorifying terrorists confirm that "Pakistan will not mend its ways".
"A meeting in such a situation would be meaningless and thus there would be no meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. Earlier, three policemen were abducted and killed by suspected Hizbul Mujahideen militants in Shopian district of south Kashmir, days after the outfit threatened officers to either quit government jobs or face death. The incident has triggered fear among special police officers, forcing several to resign. The government, however, blamed the resignations on "propaganda and mischievous intent".
Earlier, Kumar confirmed a meeting between Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi. He further added that the meeting should not be taken as "dialogue". "This is a meeting we have agreed to and should not be confused with a dialogue. The meeting has been agreed to as per the request from Pakistan. How and when it will take place will be decided by the missions. The agenda has not been finalised," Kumar said. The development came after Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan wrote to Narendra Modi seeking resumption of dialogue between the two neighbours. In a letter dated September 14, the cricketer-turned-politician, who became the prime minister last month, proposed a meeting between Qureshi and Swaraj.
Imran disappointed
Meanwhile, Imran Khan expressed "disappointment" at India's response calling it "arrogant and negative" after New Delhi called off talks between the foreign ministers of the two countries, blaming Islamabad for glorifying terrorism. "Disappointed at the arrogant and negative response by India to my call for resumption of the peace dialogue," tweeted Khan.
