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Pak 'free to raise any issue' during talks: Basit
Pakistan on Friday said it will raise the Kashmir issue, differences over sharing of river waters and India's alleged interference in Balochistan and Afghanistan during the upcoming Foreign Secretary-level talks in New Delhi.
Pakistan on Friday said it will raise the Kashmir issue, differences over sharing of river waters and India's alleged interference in Balochistan and Afghanistan during the upcoming Foreign Secretary-level talks in New Delhi.
Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said India has not imposed any precondition for resuming dialogue and Pakistan is "free to raise any issue," including Kashmir, differences over sharing waters and India's alleged interference in Balochistan and Afghanistan.
Basit made the remarks while speaking to state-run PTV.
He said "Indian insincerity" was the sole reason for the failure to resolve the "core Kashmir issue".
India has taken no step to resolve this issue and it would have been settled by now if the stalled composite dialogue had continued, he said.
Kashmiris, he said, must be granted the "right to self-determination" so that they can lead a prosperous and peaceful life.
Pakistan also has serious concerns on Indian activities in Afghanistan, he said, adding, India has reportedly invested over a billion dollars for building a dam on the Kabul river for apparently impeding water flow to the Indus river.
Basit said Islamabad is striving to ensure that the next round of the composite dialogue with New Delhi would be irreversible as abrupt severing of negotiations only benefits forces inimical to both countries.
