India-Pakistan NSA Talks: Sushma Swaraj, Sartaj Aziz to hold press conference

NEW DELHI (92 News) – As suspense mounted over holding of the India-Pakistan National Security Advisor-level talks after both sides hardened their positions on the issue of Kashmiri separatists, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has called a press conference in New Delhi at 4pm on Saturday. A day before his scheduled departure for Delhi, Pakistan NSA Sartaj Aziz too has called a media meet in Islamabad at 1pm (local time). While India has made it clear to Pakistan that a meeting between the Hurriyat leaders and Aziz was not appropriate, Pakistan reacted strongly to insist that it would not depart from the ‘established past practice’ of interacting with separatist Hurriyat leaders. Pakistan had said last night that it was ‘deeply disappointed’ at India putting forth ‘pre-conditions’ for NSA-level talks, accusing it of going back on the decision mutually agreed at the highest level by coming up with ‘frivolous pretexts’. “This is the second time that India has chosen to go back on a decision mutually agreed upon between the two prime ministers, to engage in a comprehensive dialogue, by coming up with frivolous pretexts,” Pakistan foreign office spokesman said.