ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday accused the Indian government of trying to sabotage efforts for peace and put the regional security and stability at stake.

Talking to United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in London, Chaudhry Nisar said that the government of Pakistan had a very clear view regarding peace in the region and having friendly relations with the neighbouring countries, but unfortunately the same had not been reciprocated from the other sides, said a press release issued here.

He said the Indian government’s objection over consultation with Kashmiri leaders was unjustified. The Kashmir issue was the major hurdle in the normalisation of relations between the two countries and establishment of peace in the region, he added.

He said India must understand that the dialogue process could not proceed further without discussion on the Kashmir issue.

About Afghanistan, the interior minister said the government and security institutions of Pakistan had facilitated the dialogue process in the war-torn country. But, Pakistan’s efforts did not receive a positive response from regional countries as well as the international community, he added.

Rejecting criticism of Pakistan, he said the countries in the region needed to avoid blaming Pakistan for their own weaknesses and negligence.

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

Chaudhry Nisar said Pakistan greatly valued its friendly ties with the UK and desired to further strengthen these relations. He said the two countries shared policy on various issues.

The UK foreign secretary agreed to the point of view of the interior minister and said that Pakistan and the UK had special relations and there was no room for any misunderstanding in their bilateral relations.

Mr Hammond appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for peace in the region and said his country appreciated Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s vision for peace.

He especially appreciated Pakistan’s contributions towards facilitating dialogue process in Afghanistan.

He expressed the hope that dialogue process in Afghanistan would not be affected and would further proceed. In this context he assured UK’s full cooperation and support.

The UK foreign secretary expressed concern over suspension of dialogue process between Pakistan and India, saying that the UK reiterated that the two countries should resolve all their issues at the negotiating table.

Registration of NGOs, mutual cooperation in the fight against terrorism and other matters of mutual cooperation were also discussed during the meeting. There was complete unanimity of views over all these issues.

The Pakistan’s high commissioner in the UK and senior officials from British foreign office attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2015

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