India 'distorting facts' over summit collapse

Both sides have blamed each other for the collapse of the Agra talks

ISLAMABAD, India -- In the latest in a series of tit-for-tat recriminations, the Pakistani government has accused India of distorting facts over the failure of last month's Agra summit.

A statement from the Pakistani foreign ministry in Islamabad Tuesday pointed to a number of post-summit statements, which it said presented "a distorted picture of the negotiations held at Agra and contain remarks which are in poor taste."

It added that such statements would not aid the development of relations between the two countries, and urged India "not to vitiate [destroy] the atmosphere for engagement between the two countries".

QUOTE "Misrepresentations and gratuitous observations can neither alter facts nor serve to promote the cause of normalization of relations" - Pakistan Foreign Ministry

"The government of Pakistan believes that misrepresentations and gratuitous observations can neither alter facts nor serve to promote the cause of normalization of relations between Pakistan and India," the statement said.

The ministry said some of the comments had come from "the highest level" -- assumed to refer to Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh, who have both made comments critical of the Pakistani summit team.

'Inexperienced'

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Last week Vajpayee said the Pakistani President, General Pervez Musharraf, had come across as an inexperienced leader and had been clueless about history, politics and international diplomacy.

And on Monday the Indian foreign minister told parliament that the Pakistani delegation had come to the summit unprepared, saying the team had approached the meeting with a "kind of military simplicity".

The Pakistani statement comes amid increasing tensions in the disputed Muslim majority region of Kashmir with India blaming Pakistan for an increase in militant violence there.

On Tuesday the Government of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir accused Pakistani troops of stepping up "terrorist violence" in the region, despite "their continued talk of peace with India".

It said Pakistan had increased its artillery shelling across the border in recent weeks, which it blamed for the deaths of at least 13 people this year, on top of the hundreds killed my militant activity.

High hopes

Last month's meeting, held in the north Indian city of Agra, carried high hopes for delivering a peace deal between the two enemies after more than two years without any high level contact.

India and Pakistan, both declared nuclear powers, have fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947.

Kashmir remains the key focus of tensions between the two nuclear powers

However, the summit collapsed without any agreement or joint statement issued by the two leaders.

Both sides said that Kashmir remained the key sticking point and blamed each other for the talks breaking down.

India accuses Pakistan of sponsoring an 11-year-old revolt in the area of Kashmir ruled by India.

Islamabad, which controls approximately one third of the region, denies the charge and says it provides only moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri freedom fighters.

Protests

Tensions in the territory increased dramatically at the weekend following the deaths of 17 Hindus in Indian controlled-Kashmir, allegedly murdered by separatist militants.

The news sparked protests in New Delhi from the Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena party who demanded the government take action against the militants and against Pakistan.

An effigy of Musharraf was set alight during one of the protests.

Despite the two leaders' failure to reach an agreement at the Agra meeting, Vajpayee has accepted an invitation for further talks in Pakistan, although no date or venue has yet been set.

Next month the two leaders are also expected to meet on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly meeting in New York.

Reuters contributed to this report.