Was Vajpayee's suggestion on Kashmir in spirit of Simla Agreement: Yasin Malik

Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik on Saturday rebutted External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's argument of India working in spirit of the Simla Agreement , asking whether Atal Bihari Vajpayee's suggestion to resolve the Kashmir issue was in the spirit of the Simla Agreement or not.

"When Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee came to Jammu and Kashmir and said that war is not the solution of Kashmir issue and it can be resolved only through dialogue process,was that against the spirit of Simla Agreement?"

"Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji also said that we must ignore beaten tracks and find a new innovative idea to resolve the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. Was that against the Simla Agreement?" he further asked.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asked Pakistan's NSA Sartaj Aziz not to make Hurriyat a third party in the NSA-level talks between India and Pakistan.

"As per the Simla Agreement, signed between India and Pakistan, whenever a dialogue will take place between the two nations, only India and Pakistan will be present," said Swaraj

"Keeping the Simla Agreement's spirit in mind, I am asking you Sartaj Aziz to not to make Hurriyat or any other person a third party. Keeping the Ufa agreement's spirit in mind, don't take the topic beyond terrorism," she added.