Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday rejected Pakistan's accusations that New Delhi was sabotaging peace talks with Islamabad.
In his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Swaraj accused Pakistan of harboring and aiding terrorists.
"In our case, terrorism is high not in distant lands, but across our border to the west," Swaraj said. "The expertise of our neighbor is not limited to the spawning grounds of terrorism, it is also an expert in the attempt to mask malice through verbal duplicity," she added.
The Indian foreign minister said that Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 bombings in Mumbai, "is still ruthless on the streets of Pakistan."
Read more: What is the problem of Pakistani activism?
Dispute on Kashmir
Last week, India canceled a proposal for a meeting of the General Assembly between Swaraj and his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mahmood Qureshi. This decision was sharply criticized by Islamabad, who accused the Indian authorities of sabotaging peace in the region.
The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it had canceled talks following the "last brutal killings of our security personnel by Pakistani entities" in Kashmir and the publication of a series of Pakistani stamps "glorifying a terrorist and terrorism.
"We accepted the [talks] Swaraj said: "But a few hours after our acceptance, terrorists learned that terrorists had killed one of our jawans (troops). Does this indicate a desire for dialogue? "
Kashmir remains a major area of contention between the two nuclear-weapon States in South Asia.
For his part, Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi, who also addressed the General Assembly on Saturday, said the new government led by politician Imran Khan, who became a cricket player, "pursued a policy of partnership for peace, security and prosperity in our immediate neighborhood. "
Read more: Imran Khan: A new hope or a dividing force for Pakistan?
Qureshi insisted, however, that "the unresolved dispute over Jammu and Kashmir is hindering the achievement of the goal of lasting peace between our two countries".
Since 1989, Muslim insurgents have been fighting Indian forces in Indian-administered Kashmir – a region of 12 million inhabitants, of which about 70% are Muslim. India and Pakistan have waged two of their three wars since independence in Kashmir in 1947, both of which they claim, but in part in good standing.
Read more: Why is Kashmir still dying from the death of rebel Burhan Wani?
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How Kashmiris pay the price of Indo-Pakistani politics
Massive military operation
The Indian Army has launched a new offensive against armed rebels in Kashmir, surrounding at least 20 villages in Shopian District. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of supporting militants crossing the Indo-Pakistani "line of control" and launching attacks against Indian paramilitary forces.
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How Kashmiris pay the price of Indo-Pakistani politics
Soldiers killed and mutilated
India announced on Wednesday that it would react to the killing of its troops by the Pakistani army. Islamabad denies allegations that its border forces killed and mutilated Indian soldiers' bodies on Monday. "The government demands that Pakistan take immediate action against its soldiers and commanders responsible for this heinous act," said Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
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How Kashmiris pay the price of Indo-Pakistani politics
A bitter conflict
Since 1989, Muslim insurgents have been fighting Indian forces in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir – a region of 12 million inhabitants, of which about 70% are Muslim. India and Pakistan have waged two of their three wars since independence in Kashmir in 1947, both of which they claim, but in part in good standing.
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How Kashmiris pay the price of Indo-Pakistani politics
The new wave of violence
The security situation in the Indian part of Kashmir has been volatile since the murder of Burhan Wani, a young separatist leader, last July. Protests against the Indian regime and clashes between separatists and soldiers have claimed the lives of hundreds of people since then.
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How Kashmiris pay the price of Indo-Pakistani politics
The attack of Uri
In September, Islamist militants killed at least 17 Indian soldiers and wounded 30 in Indian-administered Kashmir. The Indian army said the rebels had infiltrated the Indian part of Kashmir from Pakistan, with initial investigations suggesting that the militants belonged to the Pakistani group Jaish-e-Mohammad, who has been active in Kashmir for more than a decade.
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How Kashmiris pay the price of Indo-Pakistani politics
No military solution
Some members of Indian civil society believe that New Delhi can not absolve itself of its responsibilities by accusing Islamabad of creating troubles in the valley. A number of rights organizations are calling on the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reduce the number of soldiers in Kashmir and let the people decide their fate.
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How Kashmiris pay the price of Indo-Pakistani politics
Rights violations
Indian authorities have banned a number of social media websites in Kashmir after video clips of troops committing serious human rights violations were posted on the Internet. One of these videos showing a Kashmiri protester attached to an Indian army jeep – apparently as a human shield – sparked outrage over social media.
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How Kashmiris pay the price of Indo-Pakistani politics
Turkey's mediation offer
Before his official visit to New Delhi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a "multilateral" solution to the Kashmir conflict. In an interview, Erdogan expressed concern over the lingering stalemate between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region. India rejected his remarks and said that the dispute over Kashmir could only be settled bilaterally between New Delhi and Islamabad.
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How Kashmiris pay the price of Indo-Pakistani politics
Demilitarization of Kashmir
Supporters of an independent Kashmir want Pakistan and India to withdraw and let the Kashmiri people decide their future. "It is time for India and Pakistan to announce a timetable for the withdrawal of their forces from the parties they control and organize an internationally supervised referendum," said Toqeer Gilani, president of the Liberation Front of the World. Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistani Kashmir.
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How Kashmiris pay the price of Indo-Pakistani politics
No chance for secession
But most observers in Kashmir do not see it in the near future. They argue that while India's strategy of dealing strictly with Kashmir militants and separatists has partly succeeded, sooner or later New Delhi will have to find a political solution to the crisis. Secession, they say, has no chance.
Author: Shamil Shams
How Kashmir complicates peace talks
Analysts say the Qureshi General Assembly speech is proof that the new Pakistani government has not changed its policy towards India and Kashmir. They also say that Pakistan can not win India's confidence in peace while glorifying the Kashmiri militants.
Siegfried O. Wolf, director of research at the Brussels-based Forum of South Asia (SADF), said Islamabad was to separate the Kashmir conflict from peace negotiations if he wanted a productive dialogue with his neighbor.
"Pakistan's involvement in the Kashmir conflict will always complicate the situation, as Islamabad's international reputation as an alleged Islamist hub is counter-productive to the fate of Kashmir," Wolf said. DW.
"But the Pakistani authorities believe that if India is militarily involved in the Kashmir conflict, it will have a negative impact on India's economic growth and international reputation," he said.
The Trump administration has also increased pressure on Pakistan to act against active jihadist groups in its territory. The United States has stopped much of its military aid to the Islamic country.
Peace activists in India and Pakistan urge their governments to resume peace talks and bury the hatchet. They say that the dispute over Kashmir and terrorism has slowed the progress of both countries for decades.
