No third party in bilateral issues: India on Pak invitation for dinner to separatists
India's terse reaction, which went contrary to Pak expectations came after Basit said in the morning that he does not think that India will object to his dinner invitation for Kashmiri separatists to join him in celebrating Pakistan's Republic Day.
"The Government of India prefers to speak for itself... "There should be no scope for misunderstanding or misrepresenting India's position on the role of the so-called Hurriyat. Let me reiterate there are only two parties and there is no place for a third party in resolution of India-Pakistan issues," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.
Earlier in the morning Basit said, "I don't think the Indian government has objected (to the invite)... I suggest to media friends not to make an issue out of a non-issue."
On Sunday, the Pak High Commissioner met with separatist leaders to brief them on the talks held recently between the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan.
The dinner, being hosted on Monday night by the Pakistan embassy in Delhi is to be attended by Mirwaiz Uaar Farooq, the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, along with six other separatist leaders. Though this practice is not uncommon, last year India called off talks in Pakistan after Basit wanted consultation with separatists before the dialogue.
What appears to have added more controversy to the issue this year is the fact that the Pak invitation has been extended to Masarat Alam, the separatist leader, who organised the massive 2010 protests in the valley engaging Kashmiris in prolonged clashes with security forces resulting in the death of more than 100 people.
Alam's release from jail at the instance of the J & K's Mufti Mohammad Sayeed government has snowballed into a big issue with opposition parties crying hoarse alleging that the ruling BJP at the centre, which has an alliance with Sayeed's PDP, has compromised over national security.
Amid this row, Prime Miniser Narendra Modi said on Twitter that he had wished his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif for Pakistan Day.
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