Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad Thursday blamed Pakistani security forces for the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed 12 lives.
"Pakistani security forces have never wanted that relations between the two countries become good. That is because Pakistani forces, specially the army and ISI (Inter Services Intelligence), think that if the two countries have good relations then they will have no role left in Pakistan," Azad told reporters here.
He said: "In order to prove their presence in Pakistan they would want that the Kashmir issue remains alive. Thus that section (the ISI and army) through some people create trouble in India and in Kashmir."
The minister said the terror attack was planned to coincide with the meeting being planned between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
"Keeping in mind the meeting in the United States, they (the terrorists) had planned this. We political parties should not encourage forces which think that we should not talk," he said adding that the two countries should continue with the talks.
Asked whether the Indian government can trust Sharif, he said: "ISI and the army have a greater say in such issues in Pakistan than the prime minister. The Pakistani prime minister doesn't know a lot of things."
Four soldiers, six policemen and two civilians were killed in Jammu and Kashmir Thursday in an audacious terror attack that also left three militants presumably from Pakistan dead.
Furious over the nine hours of mayhem, the BJP asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to call off his talks with his Pakistani counterpart in New York Sunday. However, Manmohan Singh vowed to go ahead with the meeting.
