New Delhi, Nov 01: External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha has accused Pakistan of politicising the humanitarian measures proposed by India in its peace proposals but confirmed India's participation at the Saarc Summit in Islamabad in January. In an interview to 'outlook', he said that Pakistan had deliberately attached conditions to some of the Indian proposals which ''they knew wouldn't be acceptable.''

Sinha said that India was not surprised at Pakistan's decision to attach the UN clause to India's proposal for a Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus link. ''We are by now so familiar with Pakistan's negative mindset that none of their actions comes as a surprise. I am disappointed".

He was scathing about Pakistan's intention behind offering scholarships to Kashmiris and assistance to widows, rape victims and the disabled in the valley.
''This is typical of Pakistan's Kashmir obsession. Limiting the proposal to Kashmir makes it evident that their effort is to score political points.''

The minister said that Pakistan had offered medical assistance to Indians because it is under the misapprehension that India is trying to show of the superiority of its medical facility over theirs. Pakistanis have been voluntarily coming to India for medical treatment we haven't been enticing them.

He said that India would attend the Islamabad Saarc Summit but only to point out that the previous decisions, not merely of 2002 but earlier Saarc summits also, have not been fruitful.
Bureau Report