After talks called off, Imran Khan slams "arrogant" India
After India called off bilateral talks between external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart, Pakistan PM Imran Khan, on Saturday, hit out at India's "arrogant and negative response". On Thursday, India had agreed to a meeting between the two ministers in late September in New York. However, now, India-Pakistan talks have taken a back seat yet again. Here are the details.
Khan belittles Indian office holders, calling them "small men"
Following New Delhi's decision to cancel the talks, the newly-elected Pakistan PM took to Twitter to express his 'disappointment'. Criticizing India's "arrogant and negative response" to peace talks between the two nations, Khan slammed the Indian government and Indian politicians, calling them "small men occupying big offices" with no clear view of the larger picture.
Imran Khan tweets about his 'disappointment' with India
Why bilateral talks were cancelled
Despite the bilateral talk being agreed to on Thursday, the Indian government, on Friday, called the talks off, citing the latest "brutal killings" of Indian security personnel. India also cited the release of 20 Pakistani postage stamps "glorifying" Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani, and terrorism in general, saying that bilateral talks in such an environment would be "meaningless".
MEA spokesperson says Pakistan "won't mend its ways"
"The latest brutal killings of our security personnel by Pakistan-based entities and the recent release of a series of 20 postage stamps by Pakistan glorifying a terrorist and terrorism confirm that Pakistan won't mend its ways," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Friday.
Amid strained relations, bilateral talks cancelled again
The bilateral talk in New York would have marked the first between the two countries in quite a while. Following terror attacks by Pakistan-based terror outfits, and India's retaliatory surgical strikes in 2016, relations had been particularly strained. The relatively recent death sentence awarded to alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav further worsened the relationship. Bilateral talks have not been held since.
