India on Tuesday strongly objected to Pakistan's attempt to link Kashmir issue to terrorism in the region and maintained that the bilateral dialogue would resume only when Islamabad creates conditions for it.
"It (terrorism) has nothing to do with Kashmir. Terror, whether it is in Kashmir, in Mumbai or elsewhere, is abominable," External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told reporters in New Delhi.
He was responding to Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani's remarks that the Kashmir issue "holds the key to durable peace in the region".
Krishna pointed out that Kashmir is a part of the composite dialogue that India had initiated with Pakistan. "Now it is in Pakistan's court to create conditions for the dialogue to be resumed," he underlined.
The composite dialogue, which began in January 2004, was suspended by India after the 26/11 attacks carried out by terrorists based in Pakistan.
The external affairs minister did not specify the conditions but India has maintained that the dialogue can be resumed only after Pakistan takes credible and transparent actions to bring to justice the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks and dismantle the terror infrastructure.
