Ahead of NSA talks, Pakistan irks India with invite to Kashmiri separatists

Irked over the invitation to Kashmiri separatist leaders to meet Pakistani Nation Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz when he is in New Delhi on August 23 to hold talks on terror, the government will "respond appropriately" if the neighbours go ahead with the meeting.

The Kashmiri separatist leaders have been invited by the Pakistan high commission to meet Aziz, who will visit India to hold talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, a move about which the government is clearly unhappy, sources said.

"Let's see what happens (if they go ahead with the meeting with the separatists). The government will respond appropriately," government sources said.

Asserting that there are some sections in the Pakistan establishment who want to "scuttle" the Indo-Pak talks and are ratcheting up anti-India activities thereby, pushing India to call off NSA-level talks scheduled for Sunday. "The invitation should be seen as latest provocative move in that direction," the sources said.

Hardline Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has been invited to meet Aziz while other separatist leaders like Mirwaiz Umar Farooq were invited for the reception being held in Aziz's honour by the Pakistan mission.

Last year, India had unilaterally called off foreign secretary-level talks after the Pakistan high commissioner had held "consultations" with Kashmiri separatist leaders on the eve of the FS-level meeting.

After a call from the Pakistan high commission, the moderate Hurriyat Conference held an emergency executive meeting in Srinagar after which it was decided to attend the function.

"At the outset, we request both India and Pakistan to put an end to the hostilities along the Line of Control and ensure a complete ceasefire. Only innocent people are becoming victims of the tension along the border," the Mirwaiz said.

Welcoming the statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Dubai recently that all issues needed to be resolved through talks, the Mirwaiz said, "We lost an opportunity last year and I hope that the opportunity is not lost again."

He urged political parties not to politicise the issue, saying, "There are many other issues on which the browny points could be scored. Politicising this issue will amount to closing down a possible window of peace in South Asia."

Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front leader Yasin Malik was yet to decide on whether to accept the invitation for attending the reception or not. "We will take a decision soon," he said.

Aziz will be visiting India for talks with Doval next week on terrorism-related issues. The decision to hold the NSA-level talks was taken during meeting between Modi and Sharif in Ufa.

The Pakistan high commission on Wednesday justified its invitation to Kashmiri separatist leaders to meet Pakistan National Security Adviser Sartaz Aziz, during his visit here from August 23, saying such meetings are not "unprecedented".

Ahead of the meeting between the Aziz and NSA Ajit Doval for talks on terror, the Pakistan mission here has invited Kashmiri hardline leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and other separatists to hold talks with Aziz and also over dinner which will be attended by a "select gathering".

"We have been meeting and talking to them (Kashmiri leaders). There is nothing unprecedented about it. I don't understand why there is so much hype," Manzoor Ali Memon, Counsellor (Press) in Pakistan high commission, told PTI.

Reacting to the Pakistan move, India has said it will "respond appropriately".

"Let's see what happens (if they go ahead with the meeting with the separatists). The government will respond appropriately," government sources said.

Asserting that there are some sections in the Pakistan establishment who want to "scuttle" the Indo-Pak talks and are ratcheting up anti-India activities thereby, pushing India to call off NSA-level talks scheduled for Sunday.

"The invitation should be seen as latest provocative move in that direction," the sources said.

Last year, India had unilaterally called off foreign secretary-level talks after the Pakistan high commissioner in New Delhi had held "consultations" with the Kashmiri separatist leaders on the eve of the FS-level meeting.

Significantly, Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit had last week said his country will not "abandon" the Kashmiris' "legitimate struggle for freedom", stressing that to have normal and cooperative relationship with India it was necessary to settle the decades-old dispute.