'Better late than never': Cong on Swaraj-Qureshi talks cancellation

The Congress on Friday sought to take credit for the government's decision to call off the meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

The BJP, however, maintained that it has been the government's stand that talks and terror cannot go together and asserted that the Indian Army will give Pakistan a befitting reply.

Barely 24 hours after agreeing to it, the government Friday called off a meeting between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan in New York, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad releasing postage stamps "glorifying" Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani.

Asked about the decision to call off the talks, senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi told a press briefing, "Better late than never. And sometimes credit should also be given to us."
Reacting to the development, Former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti tweeted, "Calling off meeting between India & Pak's FMs is bad news for J&K. Both countries owe it to people of state & country to carry on dialogue rather than talking through media. In spite of a historic mandate, it is media & not NDA leadership that is setting the agenda."