Singh, Advani spar over Kashmir talks

NEW DELHI (Agencies) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and opposition BJP leader LK Advani were involved in an uncharacteristically sharp war of words over Kashmir in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Advani mounted a scathing attack on the Congress-led governments foreign policy and asked why US President Barack Obama was interfering in Indo-Pak disputes. The new US President has said again and again that he will do everything to solve the Indo-Pak problems. Before Obama the US policy was that US will not interfere in the matter unless India and Pakistan both agree to it, said Advani.
I want the Prime Minister to inform the Parliament what secret or other talks have taken place between India and Pakistan. If there are any secret talks happening on Kashmir between India and US it will have serious consequences, he said.
The Indian Prime Minister hit back, virtually accusing Advani of trying to create a divide between India and the US. He also rubbished Advanis charges that India was talking to Pakistan under pressure from the US and denied that his government was entering into a secret deal with Pakistan over Kashmir.
I feel sorry. Whatever is being attributed to Obama is not true. There is no change in US policy on India and Pakistan. There is no change in US policy towards India, said Singh while replying to the Advanis charges.
Advani made the charge while replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President Pratibha Patils address to Parliament.
Advani also referred to a Newsweek report, which quoted Indian and US sources as saying that India and Pakistan have restarted 'secret back-channel talks over Kashmir, and asked the prime minister for an explanation.
Singh said: How many times did Jaswantji (who was external affairs minister in the last BJP-led coalition government) talk with US government representatives? How many times you informed the House? Why are you expecting me to answer hypothetical questions?
Singh denied entering into some sort of secret pact with Pakistan over Kashmir and a policy shift in this direction under pressure from the United States. Singh said he has had various discussions with US President Barack Obama and that he could confidently say that there was no policy shift.
Singh also attacked Advani for trying to create a 'rift between service personnel and the government. The BJP leader had alleged that a promise made in the 2009 budget - on the one-rank-one-pension scheme for ex-servicemen - had not been implemented completely.