Clashes jeopardise talks with India: Pak

Pakistan's foreign ministry said on Thursday that peace talks with India were in jeopardy after cross-border artillery firing last weekend left at least five people dead.

Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman Tariq Altaf said Islamabad has made no formal decision to cancel the talks aimed at improving relations between the two countries. But he said India's reaction to the recent skirmishes raised serious questions about the ''viability'' of the dialogue.

''We have to continuously assess the situation,'' Altaf said.

Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan, speaking to the national assembly on Thursday, accused India of provoking the clashes to give it an excuse for withdrawing from the talks.

''But we will not let India do so,'' Khan was quoted in an agency report.

Meanwhile, an Indian foreign office spokesman reiterated his country's commitment to the talks on Thursday.

Clashes between Indian and Pakistani border troops are common, but the firing that erupted on Saturday night and continued until Sunday was especially intense.

UNI

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