Nisar slams Khurshid for making 'unnecessary' remarks against Pak army

The Interior Minister of Pakistan, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, has rejected allegations made by Indian External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, against the Pakistan Army that it was hindering the peace process between the two countries.

In a strongly-worded statement issued through the Press Information Department, he said that the remarks made by Khurshid were 'unnecessary and against diplomatic norms'.

According to Dawn News, hours before the meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries in New York, Khurshid in an interview to Voice of America said that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and its military were sabotaging the Nawaz Sharif government's efforts to make peace with India.

Khurshid said while Sharif was saying the right things, it was imperative for the Pak government to find a way to keep the army and the ISI under control.

Referring to the recent violence on the Line of Control, Khurshid said he would not accept the notion that it could be the work of non-state actors without support from the ISI, the report said.

He said if Pakistan could not control non-state actors on its territory it should seek India's help.

According to the report, commenting on Khurshid's remarks, Nisar said the statements being issued by the Indian rulers and politicians at a time when Pakistan was sincerely trying to improve relations with India showed that New Delhi was not serious in pursuing the peace process with Islamabad.