Pak says India has scuttled opportunities for dialogue on Kashmir

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Tuesday said India has "scuttled all opportunities for meaningful dialogue" on Kashmir over the past two decades.

A statement issued by the Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) quoted Aziz as further saying that over years, New Delhi's proposals for a dialogue on Kashmir with Islamabad lacked credibility, reports the Dawn.

His statement came days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a multilateral resolution of the Kashmir dispute before his two-day official visit to New Delhi, which the Indian government predictably rejected.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay had said, in a veiled reference to Pakistan that the Kashmir issue has a "prominent dimension of cross-border terrorism" that needs to be stopped by "those who are perpetuating it, while pushing for a bilateral solution to the issue.

Tensions have simmered between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir issue since the end of 2016. Cross-border exchanges of fire have been reported sporadically since the New Year began.