December 21, 2002	Saturday	Shawwal 16, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 20: Islamabad on Friday accused New Delhi of double-speak for holding Pakistan responsible for the postponement of the 12th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit.

Responding to a statement by the Indian External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, who blamed Pakistan for putting off the summit, the Foreign Office spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan described his remarks as “deceitful sophistry.” Even now while expressing India’s willingness to participate in the Saarc Summit, Mr Sinha had made it contingent upon progress on the “substantive issues of Saarc,” the spokesman said in a statement issued here on Friday.

Hitting back at the Indian government, the spokesman said: “Having caused the postponement of the 12th Saarc Summit, the Indian government wanted to clean up its sullied image. Obviously, they know of no better way than to engage in double- speak.” If India was willing to attend the summit it should say so clearly, without raising any caveats, he emphasised.

To-date India had caused postponement of four Saarc summits, including the 12th Summit to be held in Pakistan, maintained the spokesman.