Government to respond appropriately if Sartaj Aziz meets Kashmiri hardliners

NEW DELHI: Irked over the invitation to Kashmiri separatist leaders to meet Sartaj Aziz when he is here on August 23 to hold talks on terror, government will "respond appropriately" if the Pakistanis go ahead with the meeting with them.

The Kashmiri separatist leaders have been invited by the Pakistan High Commission here to meet Aziz, who will visit India to hold talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, a move about which the government is clearly unhappy, sources said.

"Let's see what happens (if they go ahead with the meeting with the separatists). The government will respond appropriately," government sources said.

Asserting that there are some sections in the Pakistan establishment who want to "scuttle" the Indo-Pak talks and are ratcheting up anti-India activities thereby, pushing India to call off NSA-level talks scheduled for Sunday.

"The invitation should be seen as latest provocative move in that direction," the sources said.

Hardline Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has been been invited to meet Aziz while other separatists leaders like Mirwaiz Umar Farooq were invited for the reception being held in Aziz's honour by the Pakistan mission.

Last year, India had unilaterally called off Foreign Secretary-level talks after the Pakistan High Commissioner here had held "consultations" with the Kashmiri separatist leaders on the eve of the FS-level meeting.