Nawaz's Kashmir pronouncement: Cong asks PM Modi to exercise caution with Pak

The Congress Party on Thursday once again urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exercise caution in his foreign policy initiatives with regard to Pakistan, following Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's controversial remarks on Jammu and Kashmir.

"Before dialogue with India, I have decided to engage with Kashmiri leaders. Blaming Pakistan's agencies for involvement in extremism is an utter lie," The Dawn reported Sharif as saying.

"Nawaz Sharif's statement shows very clearly that they (Pakistan) don't care two hoots about Prime Minister Modi or India," senior Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit told ANI.

Dikshit further stated that when it comes to Pakistan, the United Progress Alliance (UPA) had the best foreign policy.

"I would urge the Prime Minister to see how the Congress was tackling the whole situation, because that is the best way of dealing with that nation," he said.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reiterated its stand regarding the Kashmir issue, adding that the state is an integral part of India.

"India has made its stand clear to Pakistan on its soil that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and we cannot hold discussions on this with any other country," BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain told the media.