Adopting an obstinate attitude, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday announced that his country would talk with Kashmiri leaders before initiating any dialogue with India.
“Pakistan will speak with Kashmiri leaders before it enters into dialogue with India,” Sharif said while attending a session of the Kashmir Council in Muzaffarabad, Dawn online reported.
Notably, India has called off foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan after the latter sent its envoy to meet Kashmiri separatists.
“Pakistan itself is the biggest victim of terrorism so blaming its agencies for being involved in extremism is an utter lie,” the Prime Minister said.
He expressed satisfaction with the international community’s acknowledgment of India’s “biased attitude” towards its neighbour.
“It is our fundamental belief that the Kashmir issue should be resolved through dialogue. My government initiated dialogue with India but it cancelled the scheduled foreign secretary talks,” he said.
Nawaz also said that the international community must play its role in bringing India to the dialogue table over the Kashmir issue.
He said Pakistan wishes to resolve the Kashmir issue through dialogue, adding that India could be brought to the table for talks with the help of international institutions.
“Before the dialogue with India, I have decided to engage with Kashmiri leaders,” he added.
