Unfortunate that Indo-Pak talks called off: Yasin Mailk

Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik called the calling off of the Foreign Secretary level bilateral talks between India and Pakistan as "unfortunate".

"Earlier governments, including the previous NDA government, have always included us in bilateral talks, and all earlier governments have facilitated our meetings with the officials of Pakistan. It is unfortunate that the talks have been called off," he told ANI.

Alleging discrimination against Kashmiris, Malik accused India of wanting to have only trade relations with Pakistan. He also told ANI, "The new government has shown that its agenda is based on the ideology of the RSS."

However, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said that this stand taken by the government proved that India is strong. "Before the Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi said that he will not allow the country to bow. By calling off the talks, he has proven this. When he invited SAARC leaders to his swearing-in, he wanted all of us to fight poverty together. But as was proved to Pakistan today, terror and talks cannot go together.

BJP leader Srikant Sharma also supported the government's decision to call off talks with Pakistan and stated that all the members of the party welcome it.

Sharma said, "Meeting separatist leaders a week before Foreign Secretary level talks between India and Pakistan, as well as repeated violation of cease fire on the border is clearly interference in India's internal matters".

Earlier today, India cancelled the upcoming bilateral talks between the two countries after the Pakistani High Commissioner invited separatist leaders for talks.