Pakistan disappointed at India's cancellation of Sushma-Qureshi meet
Islamabad, Sep 22 : Pakistan on Friday expressed deep disappointment at India's decision to cancel a meeting between Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi that was scheduled to be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) session next week.
"The government of Pakistan is deeply disappointed at the announcement made by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi today (Friday) about the cancellation of the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan, which was to be held on the sidelines of UNGA in New York," the Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement late on Friday night.
"The reasons cited by the Indian side for the decision to cancel the Foreign Ministers' meeting, within 24 hours of its public confirmation, are entirely unconvincing," it said.
Blaming Pakistan for the killing of security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir and accusing it of glorifying terrorism, in terms of releasing a postage stamp featuring Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani who was killed by Indian security forces, India on Friday called off talks between the two foreign ministers in New York.
India announced its decision just 24 hours after Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in his media briefing on Thursday that New Delhi has accepted Islamabad's request for a meeting between Sushma Swaraj and Qureshi at the UN.
On Friday, the Indian government said in a strongly-worded statement that since the announcement of the talks on Thursday, two "deeply disturbing" developments had taken place that led to Islamabad's "evil agenda" being exposed.
"The latest brutal killings of our security personnel by Pakistan-based entities and the recent release of a series of 20 postage stamps by Pakistan glorifying a terrorist and terrorism confirmed that Pakistan will not mend its ways," Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson said.
"Now, it is obvious that behind Pakistan's proposal for talks to make a fresh beginning, the evil agenda of Pakistan stands exposed and the true face of the new Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has been revealed to the world," Raveesh Kumar said.
Earlier in the day, Hizbul Mujahadeen terrorists abducted and gunned down three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir, marking a sharp escalation in militancy in the state which India says is backed by Pakistan.
Earlier this week, the mutilated body of Narendra Singh, a Border Security Force (BSF) Head Constable, was found after Pakistani forces had resorted to unprovoked firing in Ramgarh sector of Jammu.
Kumar said the that BSF has "strongly taken up the matter with their counterpart on the Pakistani side". In this background, Kumar said on Friday that "conversation with Pakistan in such an environment would be meaningless"
"In view of the changed situation, there will be no meeting between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan in New York," he said.
In its statement, the Pakistan Foreign Office did not allude to the killing of the police officers in Jammu and Kashmir but said that the "alleged" killing of the BSF soldier took place two days prior to the Indian announcement of its agreement to hold the bilateral meeting.
"When the allegations of Pakistan's involvement first appeared, the Pakistan Rangers clearly conveyed to BSF through official channels that Pakistan had nothing to do with it," the Pakistan Foreign Office statement said.
According to the statement, Pakistan Rangers also extended help in efforts to locate the soldier's body.
Stating that these facts were known to the Indian authorities, it stated: "Pakistan takes this opportunity to categorically reject these allegations once again. Our authorities would be prepared to conduct a joint investigation to establish the truth."
As for the Burhan Wani postage stamp mentioned, the statement said that it was issued before the July 25 general elections in Pakistan "as a result of which the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan assumed office".
The Pakistan Foreign Office statement termed as "most unfortunate" India's reference about Imran Khan.
"We choose not to further comment beyond saying that these comments are against all norms of civilised discourse and diplomatic communication," it said.
It said Pakistan believed that by its "ill-considered cancellation" of the meeting, New Delhi "has once again wasted a serious opportunity to change the dynamics of the bilateral relationship and put the region on the path of peace and development".
"For its part, Pakistan will persist with its quest for peace and development," the statement said.
Qureshi also termed as "unfortunate" India's cancellation of talks with Islamabad in New York next week.
"We had already told India that if they take one step towards us, we will take two. However, it seems that they faltered after taking just one step," Qureshi told Dawn online.
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Rajasthan’s Churu Professors Abuse Dalit Law Student, Say “You Are Chamari”
Jaipur: A Dalit LL.B student in the third semester at Government Law College in Churu, Rajasthan, has filed a FIR under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, alleging caste-based abuse, threats, and discriminatory marking by two professors.
According to The Observer Post, the complaint was filed at the Kotwali Police Station on February 27, in which the complainant, Meena Meghwal, 30, has accused Professor Apoorva Sharma and Professor Anil of making insulting caste remarks, threatening to fail her, and deliberately awarding her low grades. Police at Kotwali station in Churu filed a case under Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the SC/ST Act and initiated further investigation. The case has been forwarded to Deputy Superintendent of Police Sunil Kumar Jhajharia, Circle Churu.
In her written complaint, Meghwal, Toruram Meghwal's daughter and a native of Kharia village in Jhunjhunu district, revealed that the alleged incident occurred during a college function in December 2025 and that Professor Sharma grew irritated when she raised a question during the programme.
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According to the complaint, the professor allegedly used casteist slurs in front of other students and told her, “You are chamari, you are from a lower caste. You cannot do LL.B. It is not your job,” and also threatened to fail her. The student also named classmates Akash Deep, Akash Mishra, Himanshu and Prem Prakash as being present at the time.
Meghwal further alleged that after the December incident, she continued to face humiliation, claiming that in her practical exams, she was given six marks out of 20, while in other subjects, she earned 12 to 13 points from other instructors.
On February 21, when she sought a reason for the low marks, she alleged that Professor Sharma told her, “It is my wish. I did it. You people are low caste.”
The student said she submitted a written complaint to the college administration but no action followed.
After the FIR became public, Naveen Kumar Nandan, a journalist associated with BAMCEF, shared a copy of the complaint on social media platform X and wrote, “It is very dangerous if the allegations are true.”
Some local sources cited by The Observer Post claimed that there had been earlier complaints regarding the behaviour of the accused professor. Few students have also claimed that during examinations, Scheduled Caste students were targeted and treated discriminatorily. Students have reportedly expressed reluctance to talk publicly due to fears over low attendance or practical marks. These reports have not been independently verified.
