Hours after India proposed dates for Foreign Secretary-level talks, Pakistan has claimed that it was New Delhi which had blinked not Islamabad.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that it was India which had talked about breaking their relationship with us and their turning their back on us. "But two days ago, India has approached and said they want to sit and talk to us and want to resume their relationship with us," Qureshi told a public meeting in Multan in Punjab on Sunday.

"Pakistan hasn't knelt... It didn't kneel. Pakistan held its ground," the Pakistan Foreign Minister indulging in rhetorics as a build up to the talks has started.

Qureshi said that Pakistan would present its case before India claiming "our case is strong. It's not weak, whether it be Kashmir or water or any other issue." "Pakistan has a clear stance regarding every issue be it Kashmir or the water issue and we would not step back from their stance," he said.

Under the composite dialogue eight issues including Jammu and Kashmir and terrorism were discussed in four rounds of talks before it was paused in November 2008 in the wake of Mumbai attacks.
 

(malathi)