ISLAMABAD: In a powerful retort, following India’s cancelation of high-level talks proposed by Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday expressed disappointment at New Delhi’s “arrogant and negative” response to Islamabad’s call for the resumption of dialogue.
Disappointed at the arrogant & negative response by India to my call for resumption of the peace dialogue. However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) September 22, 2018
On September 14, in a letter addressed to Indian PM Narendra Modi, PM Khan had proposed a meeting between Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) scheduled to take place in New York this week. India had agreed to the meeting on Thursday but canceled a day later.
PM Khan tweeted: “Disappointed at the arrogant & negative response by India to my call for resumption of the peace dialogue. However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture.”
The strongly-worded comments are a strong departure from the language used in the letter by PM Khan whereby he had said that Pakistan remained ready to discuss terrorism, and that “discussions on trade, people-to-people contacts, religious tourism, humanitarian issues are also important.”
