Obama should not link Kashmir with Pak's problems: NSA

Coming out strongly against any attempt to link Kashmir issue with turmoil in Pak's tribal areas, National Security Adviser MK Narayanan has said that US Prez Barack Obama would be "barking up the wrong tree" if he holds such views.

Coming out strongly against any attempt to link Kashmir issue with turmoil in Pakistan's tribal areas, National Security Adviser M K Narayanan has said that US President Barack Obama would be "barking up the wrong tree" if he holds such views.

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Narayanan said India had made it known to the Obama team at the outset that it would not like Indo-Pak relations to be on the agenda of Richard Holbrooke, special envoy of the US for Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"References made by President Obama did seem to suggest that there is some kind of a link between the settlement on Pakistan's western border and the Kashmir issue. Certainly that had caused concern," he told Karan Thapar's 'India Tonight' programme.

He was responding to reported suggestions by Obama during his campaign that Pakistan's fight against Taliban on the western front is linked to resolution of Kashmir issue.

The NSA pointed out that such references were made by Obama when he was in the campaign mode or when he was president-elect.

"I do think that we could make President Obama understand, if he does have any such views then he is barking up the wrong tree," he said.