LONDON: Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in a meeting with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on Friday said India was trying to sabotage efforts for peace on one pretext or the other and was putting regional security and stability at stake.

Discussing the regional security situation, Nisar said the incumbent government had a very clear view regarding peace in the region and on establishing friendly relations with neighboring countries, according to a press release issued Friday.

But unfortunately the other side had not reciprocated the same, he said.

The minister, who is on an official trip to the UK, said it was strange that India did not want to discuss the core issue of Kashmir, nor wanted Pakistan to hold consultations with Kashmiri leaders.

This, he said, was “unacceptable to Pakistan” and labeled it a major hurdle in efforts towards peace in the region.

Speaking on Afghanistan, Nisar said Pakistan’s government and its security institutions had made the impossible possible by facilitating dialogue for peace in Afghanistan.

“But we are concerned over regional countries’ and international community’s lack of a positive response towards our efforts,” he said, adding that unjustified and unnecessary criticism on Pakistan was “not acceptable to us.”

The minister said Pakistan would continue its efforts for peace in the region but would never accept any hegemony or dominance.

The interior minister said other countries need to avoid blaming Pakistan for their own “weaknesses and negligence.” Similarly, India must understand that the dialogue process cannot proceed further without discussions on the issue of Kashmir.

“Without furthering dialogue there can be no peace in the region.”

Nisar said the government and the people of Pakistan desired peace and appreciated cooperation from the international community, especially friendly countries, in this regard.

Pakistan greatly valued its friendly ties with the United Kingdom and desired to further strengthen them, he said.

The interior minister said Pakistan and the UK shared policy on various issues for there existed multifaceted cooperation between both countries.

Pakistan High Commissioner in the United Kingdom and senior officials from the British Foreign Office were also present during the meeting.

Mr Hammond on the occasion said Pakistan and UK had a special relationship and there was no room for any misunderstandings in bilateral ties. “Nor will we allow any misunderstanding to affect our relations.”

He appreciated Pakistan's efforts for peace in the region, especially Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s vision for peace.

The foreign secretary particularly appreciated Pakistan’s contributions towards facilitating the dialogue process in Afghanistan. He expressed the hope that the Afghan dialogue process would not be affected, assuring complete support from the UK in this connection.

Mr Hammond expressed concern over the suspension of dialogue process between India and Pakistan, urging both sides to resolve all pending issues at the negotiating table.

Registration of NGOs, mutual cooperation in the fight against terrorism and other matters of mutual interest were also discussed during the meeting.