The government of India has taken a strong exception to the statement of Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri who claimed that incidents like the Mumbai bomb blasts were linked to non-resolution of disputes between India and Pakistan.
Navtej Sarna, spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs, said the comments were totally unwarranted and the government of India finds them "appalling" and asked the Pakistani government to reject the remarks forthwith.
"We find it appalling Kasuri's statement linking this inhuman act of terror against men, women and children to so called lack of resolution between India and Pakistan on Jammu and Kashmir," he said.
He reminded the government of Pakistan of its commitment on January 6, 2004, where it had taken a pledge to dismantle the terror infrastructure from the soil of Pakistan. "We urge Pakistan to take steps to dismantle the infrastructure as early as possible," he said.
He also pointed out that the elections held in so-called Azad Kashmir were neither fair nor could be called an exercise of self-governance as the Election Commission rejected 30 out of 31 nominations of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front who refused to sign annexation of Kashmir to Pakistan.
Similar treatment was meted out to the All Party National Alliance. "The people of Gilgit do not even enjoy the basic right to vote," he said.
The spokesman said that Pakistan government has not agreed to attach more coaches to the Thar Express.
"Pakistan government has expressed its inability to handle more passengers at the zero station and hence, the Thar Express would continue to have just seven coaches and carry 400 passengers," he said.
