Summary The decision from Modi-led government came after Abdul Basit meeting with Shabir Shah, claims media.
NEW DELHi (Web Desk) – According to Time of India, India on Monday called off the foreign secretary-level bilateral talks with Pakistan which was slated to be held on August 25. This development follows the Pakistani high commissioner to India Abdul Basit meeting separatist leaders from Kashmir.
Earlier on Monday, the Pakistani envoy met Kashmiri separatists on Monday ahead of the proposed foreign secretary-level talks between New Delhi and Islamabad.
This invoked sharp reaction from political quarters in India with the opposition Congress hitting out at the Centre for allowing the envoy to meet the Hurriyat leaders.
The Congress had accused the government of doublespeak questioning why the talks had not been called off.
Bilateral talks cannot resolve Kashmir issue
Earlier, prominent separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah on Monday welcomed the upcoming India-Pakistan foreign-secretary level talks, but maintained that bilateral dialogue between the two countries would not resolve the Kashmir issue as people of the state were principal party to the dispute.
"We welcome the talks between India and Pakistan but bilateral talks cannot resolve Kashmir issue as we have seen that such initiatives always ended in failure over the past six decades," Shah said.
Shah said the Kashmir issue cannot be resolved without the inclusion of "true leadership" of Jammu & Kashmir in the resolution process "as we are the basic party".
