Islamabad, Sept 01: Pakistan today accused India of stalling recent peace initiatives between the two countries. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's hand of friendship to Pakistan is dangling in "mid-air," Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman Masood Khan said. "What kind of a hand of friendship is this (that) is suspended in mid-air?" Khan said. "He's extended and he's withdrawing it. I have never seen a hand of friendship which is extended and then withdrawn so quickly."
He was referring to statements last week by Vajpayee saying talks would go ahead when Pakistan stops cross-border incursions into Jammu and Kashmir.
Khan said Pakistan has set no preconditions to talks. "We have not said we will talk to India when it ends its (alleged) repression in Kashmir," Khan said. "We have not set any conditions. We want to have talks with India. We want this peace process to succeed. We want to invest our time and energy in the process with all sincerity for a meaningful, for a result-oriented dialogue," he said. Bureau Report