Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said it has been the success of Indian diplomacy to deal with Pakistan bilaterally without any mediation under the Shimla Agreement

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday asked the government not to internationalise India-Pakistan affairs and adhere to the tested policy of no mediation, after claims by a UAE diplomat about brokering talks between Delhi and Islamabad.

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said it has been the success of Indian diplomacy to deal with Pakistan bilaterally without any mediation under the Shimla Agreement. "We have seen reports of a UAE diplomat claiming to have brokered contacts between India and Pakistan. It has been one of the successes of Indian diplomacy since the 1972 Shimla agreement to ensure that we deal with Pakistan bilaterally, and to prevent foreign mediation," he told reporters.

"Sadly, under this government not only are others now mediating between India and Pakistan but our internal affairs like J&K have been internationalised," the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha said. He hoped that the government returns to India's tried and tested policies.