General VK Singh May Attend Pakistan Day Dinner, Kashmiri Separatists Invited Too
New Delhi: Pakistan's envoy Abdul Basit stated this morning that he does not think that India will object to his dinner invitation tonight for Kashmiri separatists to join him in celebrating Pakistan's Republic Day. That observation landed with a bit of a clang.
"The Government of India prefers to speak for itself," rebuked the Foreign Ministry with a statement this afternoon. "There should be no scope for misunderstanding or misrepresenting India's position on the role of the so-called Hurriyat... there are only two parties and there is no place for a third party in resolution of India-Pakistan issues," said ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter that he had wished his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif for Pakistan Day.
Sources said that General VK Singh, former army chief and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, may be deputed to attend the Pakistani envoy's dinner tonight. Mr Basit's remarks - which were seen as an untoward assumption - have placed the government in a tricky spot, said sources.
"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," said the Pakistani envoy this morning.
Last night, he met with separatist leaders to brief them on the talks held recently between the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan. His dinner is being attended by Mirwaiz Uaar Farooq, the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, along with six other separatist leaders. The invitation to Kashmiri separatists for Pakistan Day commemorations is standard practice. But last year, India called off scheduled talks in Pakistan after Mr Basit insisted on consulting separatist leaders before the dialogue.
And controversy today lies partly in the invitation extended to Masarat Alam, allegedly the main organiser of the massive protests in 2010 that saw Kashmiris clashing for months with soldiers and police officers. More than 100 people were killed in the violence. Mr Alam, who was released from jail earlier this month, said he is unwell and will not travel to Delhi.
New Delhi: Pakistan's envoy Abdul Basit stated this morning that he does not think that India will object to his dinner invitation tonight for Kashmiri separatists to join him in celebrating Pakistan's Republic Day. That observation landed with a bit of a clang.
"The Government of India prefers to speak for itself," rebuked the Foreign Ministry with a statement this afternoon. "There should be no scope for misunderstanding or misrepresenting India's position on the role of the so-called Hurriyat... there are only two parties and there is no place for a third party in resolution of India-Pakistan issues," said ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter that he had wished his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif for Pakistan Day.
Sources said that General VK Singh, former army chief and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, may be deputed to attend the Pakistani envoy's dinner tonight. Mr Basit's remarks - which were seen as an untoward assumption - have placed the government in a tricky spot, said sources.
"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," said the Pakistani envoy this morning.
Last night, he met with separatist leaders to brief them on the talks held recently between the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan. His dinner is being attended by Mirwaiz Uaar Farooq, the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, along with six other separatist leaders. The invitation to Kashmiri separatists for Pakistan Day commemorations is standard practice. But last year, India called off scheduled talks in Pakistan after Mr Basit insisted on consulting separatist leaders before the dialogue.
And controversy today lies partly in the invitation extended to Masarat Alam, allegedly the main organiser of the massive protests in 2010 that saw Kashmiris clashing for months with soldiers and police officers. More than 100 people were killed in the violence. Mr Alam, who was released from jail earlier this month, said he is unwell and will not travel to Delhi.
