PM ticks off Qureshi over handling of Indo-Pak press meet

PM ticks off Qureshi over handling of Indo-Pak press meet

PM ticks off Qureshi over handling of Indo-Pak press meet

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh speaks during a joint press conference with his British counterpart in New Delhi. AP

Singh hoped that Qureshi will accept the invitation extended to him to visit India and two countries would be able to "restore" the dialogue process "sooner or later" and give it a "proper sense of purpose".

In his first reaction after the July 5 foreign ministerial talks which ended in sharp differences, Singh said "I believe there was agreement on large number of issues having bearing on our relations. But the way the press conference was headed at the end of the visit by the Foreign Minister of Pakistan could, I think, have been avoided."

It detracted the "large elements of agreement" reached between the Foreign Ministers, he said in reply to a question at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron. Singh, who was asked whether he was disappointed with the failure of the talks between the two Foreign Ministers, said "I think, we are too close to events to pass a firm judgement on the outcome."

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