'No breakthrough expected on bilateral dialogue with India'

Pakistan does not expect any breakthrough on resuming the bilateral dialogue with India, Advisor to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz said Tuesday.

"India has suspended the dialogue process and now it's their responsibility to resume it," he said.

Aziz made the comment after inaugurating the annual conference of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics in Islamabad, Dawn online reported.

In August, India had called off foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan following criticism of Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit's meeting in New Delhi with Hurriyat leader Shabir Shah.

Aziz also lamented the attitude of the Indian government towards the Kashmir dispute and said that the neighbouring country wanted to link Kashmir with terrorism to divert the world's attention.

"Over the last 40 years, bilateral-ism has failed on Kashmir and that's why Pakistan wanted to engage the international community on the matter," the advisor said.

Aziz said that friendship with India could only be possible "without compromising on our self-respect, honour and equality".

In December 2013, Pakistan and India had pledged to uphold the 2003 Line of Control (LoC) ceasefire accord which was repeatedly violated.

The truce breaches had put the nascent bilateral peace dialogue on hold.