This Article is From Aug 22, 2015

'India-Pakistan Talks Must Go On,' Says Kashmiri Separatist Shabir Shah

'India-Pakistan Talks Must Go On,' Says Kashmiri Separatist Shabir Shah

Separatist leader Shabir Ahmed Shah was detained on his arrival in New Delhi today.

Srinagar: Kashmiri separatist Shabir Ahmed Shah has been detained after he landed in Delhi to attend a reception organised by Pakistan's National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz tomorrow, as the war of words between Indian and Pakistan continues, putting the fate of NSA-level talks between both countries hanging by a thread.

The talks are scheduled for Sunday.

Earlier in Srinagar, Mr Shah told reporters, "The talks must go on to ease the pressure on both sides of the Line of Control."  

Mr Shah, along with Hurriyat's Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Yasin Malik and Naeem Khan, has been invited by the Pakistan envoy in New Delhi, Abdul Basit, for their NSA's reception tomorrow.

India has called it unacceptable for Mr Aziz to meet with separatists, a long drawn contention between the two countries which led India to cancel the talks last year.

Justifying the invitation extended by Pakistan, Mr Shah said, "We have been meeting them (Pakistan leaders) for 25 years, even during the NDA and UPA rule."

India maintains that there are only two stakeholders in the Kashmir dialogue, and has termed Pakistan's insistence of meeting separatists as a complete departure from the terms agreed upon at Ufa last month, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif agreed to hold NSA-level talks on terrorism.
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