India on Monday called off next week’s talks between India and Pakistan’s foreign secretaries after Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit met with a Kashmiri separatist leader in New Delhi.
Indian officials had advised against the meeting, saying it would jeopardize the upcoming talks. Basit was to meet more Kashmiri separatist leaders on Tuesday, deepening anger in New Delhi. As the meeting took place, activists staged noisy protests outside the Pakistan High Commission. Previous Indian governments had also objected to the interactions between Pakistani diplomats and Kashmiri separatists, but tolerated them.