NEW YORK: In the wake of the collapsed talks between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the latter on Tuesday said that it takes very little to worsen a situation and that he was a promoter of peace.
Speaking to the press at the 73rd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) here, Qureshi said, "I have a lot to say, but I don't want to make the situation worse. We are promoters of peace and want to make things better. You need two words to worsen a situation, we don't want that."
ALSO READ | India a free society, successfully lifting millions out of poverty: Donald Trump at UNGA
The meeting between the two Foreign Ministers was scheduled to be held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan made a proposal for the same in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
However, recurrent incidents of increased violence in Jammu and Kashmir and the killings of security personnel led to India cancelling the meet, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) saying that behind Pakistan's proposal for talks to make a fresh beginning, its evil agenda stands exposed and the true face of the new Pakistan Prime Minister has been revealed.
ALSO READ | India calling off foreign minister-level meeting in New York unfortunate: Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi
"Now, it is obvious that behind Pakistan's proposal for talks to make a fresh beginning, the evil agenda of Pakistan stands exposed and the true face of the new Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has been revealed to the world in his first few months in office. Any conversation with Pakistan in such an environment would be meaningless. In view of the changed situation, there will be no meeting between the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan in New York," MEA spokesperson Ravish Kumar said.
The abduction and killing of two SPOs and a constable by terrorists in South Kashmir's Shopian district, along with the "recent release of a series of 20 postage stamps by Pakistan glorifying (Burhan Wani) a terrorist and terrorism," were cited by India as the primary cause for cancelling the proposed meet.