India has voiced its distress over Pakistan NSA Moeed Yusuf’s refusal to attend a conference on Afghanistan, scheduled to be held in New Delhi on November 10, reports News18.
Government sources said it was very “unbecoming” of the Pakistan NSA to decline the invite extended by NSA Ajit Doval, through media. Sources also said the choice of words calling India the “spoiler” was also indicative of the tough stand they have taken.
NSA Yusuf could have declined the invite in an appropriate manner through diplomatic channels, but the fact that he chose to announce it like this is unfortunate and unbecoming, added the sources.
Speaking to Pakistani media, Yusuf on Tuesday had said, “I won’t go. A spoiler cannot try to become a peacemaker.” Yusuf was speaking to the media following a meeting with Uzbekistan’s Secretary of Security Council Lt Gen. Viktor Makhmudov, who was in Islamabad for the Establishment of a Joint Security Commission with Pakistan. He has also been invited to the NSA meet in New Delhi.
The NSA-level dialogue on Afghanistan was the first-of-its-kind conference that India is slated to hold to discuss the situation in the neighbouring country after it was taken over by the Taliban in August. NSAs of China, Russia and Tajikistan, among others, have also been invited to the meet.
