Saturday, June 18 2005 10:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Congress today (Jun 18, 2005) rejected BJP's (Bharatiya Janata Party) criticism of the Government's handling of the Indo-Pak peace process saying it was trying to score political points on an "extremely sensitive" issue.

Noting that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has sought to blame the Government for the violation by Pakistan of the understanding on the travel of Kashmiris on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, Congress spokesman Anand Sharma told reporters in New Delhi that, "It is actually Pakistan which is at fault."

By allowing Hurriyat Conference leaders to go to Islamabad and other places beyond Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Pakistan has violated the understanding, he said.

Sharma said the BJP was indulging in this exercise in order to divert the attention of the people from the inner party crisis facing it in the wake of BJP President L K Advani's visit to Pakistan.

Congress, Sharma said, also rejected the demand of Hurriyat Conference for its involvement in the ongoing peace process between India and Pakistan.

Sharma was responding to questions on the statement of Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq that the amalgam had a role in the peace process as also the letter of Vajpayee to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accusing the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government of making Indo-Pak talks Kashmir centric.