India suspends peace talks with Pakistan
India has announced that it is suspending all diplomatic talks with Pakistan because of its ties with international terrorism.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee accused Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf of hypocrisy in supporting the US in its so-called "war on terrorism" and of abetting the movement of Islamic terrorists fighting Indian soldiers in the disputed Kashmir province.
For years, India has been saying that Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in last week’s attacks in the US, supports and funds terrorist training camps in Pakistan.
Pakistan has promised to allow the United States to use its airspace in any attack against Afghanistan but India sees this as hypocrisy because Islamic militants are effectively allowed free reign in Pakistan.
Islamic militants, who India say are supported by Pakistan, have been fighting a bitter war in Kashmir, a Muslim-dominated province that became part of India when Britain withdrew from the area in the 1940s.
Just last week, Mr Musharraf accused India of offering to help the US to profit from the international crisis and get Pakistan declared a terrorist state.
This latest war of words between the two old enemies seems to have scuppered the latest round of peace talks between the two countries.
Diplomatic contacts between Pakistan and India were restored earlier this year after Mr Musharraf declared himself President and expressed his wish to find a peaceful solution to the Kashmir conflict.
Mr Musharraf and Mr Vajpayee held talks in India earlier this year, but no real progress was reported.
