NEW YORK: Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Maliha Lodhi, has said that Kashmiris are an inalienable part of the Kashmir dispute and Indian opposition of not including them in bilateral talks was not acceptable to Pakistan.

While giving a detailed briefing to UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliassan on the cancellation of national security advisors (NSAs) level meeting between Pakistan and India, she said that India slapped pre-conditions for the talks, which led to abandoning the negotiations.

Lodhi told the UN DSG that India breached the agreement reached between prime ministers of both countries in Russian city of Ufa for holding talks to resolve all outstanding issues.

She said that the Indian proposal for not extending invitation to Kashmiri leaders for consultation was unacceptable to Pakistan.

Lodhi made it clear that the people of Kashmir were an integral part of the Kashmir dispute and consulting them for a peaceful solution to the conundrum was a must before starting any dialogue.

She said that talks were cancelled after difference emerged over the agenda proposed by Islamabad which included meeting with Kashmiri leaders.