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Peace Talks Between Pakistan, India Collapse


Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, center, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani shake hands at a closing session of the 18th SAARC summit in Kathmandu in 2014.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, center, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani shake hands at a closing session of the 18th SAARC summit in Kathmandu in 2014.

Peace talks between India and Pakistan have been canceled one day before they were set to begin.

The talks, scheduled to be held in New Delhi on August 23-24, collapsed on August 22 over disagreements on the agenda and with Pakistan's Foreign Ministry finally saying the meeting "would not serve any purpose."

The two countries had blamed each other for weeks that the talks were at risk of failing.

Pakistan had insisted on discussing the disputed Kashmir territory while India wanted the talks to focus solely on terrorism issues.

The two countries' national security advisers failed to agree on a common agenda.

Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj had said the talks would not take place if Pakistani adviser Sartaj Aziz insisted on meeting with separatists from Kashmir under Indian administration.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said "It is not reasonable for India to now assume the right to decide unilaterally that, from now onward, other issues will be discussed after terrorism has been discussed and eliminated."

Based on reporting by Reuters and VOA
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