Pakistan minister challenges Khurshid's comments

Pakistan's Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan has termed India's External Affairs Minster Salman Khurshid's jibe against the Pakistan Army as "unnecessary" and maintained there was no disharmony between the military and civilian government on all international issues.

In a statement issued Sunday night, Nisar said the Indian minister's comments were "unnecessary and against diplomatic norms", Dawn News quoted him as saying. Nisar said it could hinder the peace process between the two countries, adding New Delhi was not serious in pursuing the dialogue with Pakistan. "It is surprising that the Indian government is levelling allegations in response to the Nawaz Sharif government's efforts to normalise relations between the two countries," Nisar said.

He added that no foreign leader has the right to speak on the "fabricated" differences between the Pakistan government and its army.

He also maintained that there was no disharmony between Pakistan's army and government on all international issues and the Indian leaders were finding it hard to accept that. Nisar said the comments show India's "ill-intentions, negetive thinking and anti-Pakistan sentiments", the Dawn report said.

On Sunday, India's External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, in an interview to the Voice of America, said Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and its military were undermining Nawaz Sharif's efforts to make peace with India. "We've been told that all the (Pakistani) government agencies are on the same page, but if they were, the things that are happening would not be happening," Khurshid said.