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Pak has spoilt the game: Sushma Swaraj

by IBNS 26 Sep 2014, 11:43 am

New York, Sep 26 (IBNS): Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said that Pakistan spoilt the game by engaging with Kashmiri separatists before talks between the two countries last month, media reports said.

Swaraj said after meeting with foreign ministers of Brazil and South Africa on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session: “The new government has given a new signal. So they spoilt the talks, they spoilt the game…There is no question of first or second. As far as our reaction is, we have said repeatedly that if a reaction had to come, it had to come at this time only. The initiative was there from our side.”

Earlier, Pakistan's National Security and Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz had said that the ball was in India’s court for talks to take place and Islamabad would not make the first move, sources said.

“They had suspended talks so it will happen if they take the initiative. There were no violations...it has been normal practice for the past 20 years. It was an overreaction,” Aziz had said.

Pakistani envoy’s meetings with Hurriyat leaders sparked off reactions with India calling off talks in August this year.