India calls off the Sushma-Qureshi meeting

India Friday called off the meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in New York, citing the "brutal" killing of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir as well as the release of postal stamps glorifying Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani.

Reacting strongly, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said talks with Pakistan in such an environment would be "meaningless".

"The latest brutal killings of our security personnel by Pakistan-based entities and the recent release of a series of 20 postage stamps by Pakistan glorifying a terrorist and terrorism confirm that Pakistan will not mend its ways," Kumar said.

He noted that "two deeply disturbing developments have taken place" since yesterday's announcement of a meeting between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan in New York later this month.

"In view of the changed situation, there will be no meeting between the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan in New York," he said.