India, Pak had nearly agreed to resume peace process: Shah Mehmood Qureshi

India and Pakistan almost reached an understanding last month in New York to resume peace process, including talks on Jammu and Kashmir, but the neighbours could not sign a formal agreement after a last-minute change of heart by New Delhi, claims Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

The Pakistani media reported Qureshi saying in Islamabad that “it was a repeat of the Agra summit when everything was ready but India backtracked at the last moment”.

The Agra summit took place in 2001 between then Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf and then prime minister AB Vajpayee. The two leaders were ready to announce an agreement, but the talks collapsed when India changed its position and refused to mention Kashmir in the joint statement.
“The Pakistan-India foreign ministers’ meeting was scheduled in New York, even the joint statement was ready, but then everything just fell apart,” Qureshi reportedly said.
The Pakistani foreign minister claimed India wanted to know in advance the content of his speech to be made at the UN general assembly. Qureshi said his strong reference to Kashmir in the speech was perhaps not liked by his Indian counterpart SM Krishna. As a result, the talks broke down.
Krishna and Qureshi last met in July this year in Islamabad, but failed to agree on a road map envisaging revival of the New Delhi peace process, which was suspended after the 26/11 Mumbai attack.