New Delhi: Pakistan’s envoy Abdul Basit stated this morning that he does not think that India will object to his dinner invitation tonight for Kashmiri separatists to join him in celebrating Pakistan’s Republic Day. Turns out he read the room all wrong.

“The Government of India prefers to speak for itself,” said a Foreign Ministry statement this afternoon. “There should be no scope for misunderstanding or misrepresenting India’s position on the role of the so-called Hurriyat. Let me reiterate there are only two parties and there is no place for a third party in resolution of India-Pakistan issues,” said the ministry spokesperson, Syed Akbaruddin.

In Delhi, a dinner at the Pakistan embassy to mark the occasion is being attended by Mirwaiz Uaar Farooq, the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, along with six other separatist leaders. The invitation to Kashmiri separatists for Pakistan Day commemorations is standard practice. But last year, India called off scheduled talks in Pakistan after Mr Basit insisted on consulting separatist leaders before the dialogue.

“I don’t think the Indian government has objected (to the invite)… I suggest to media friends not to make an issue out of a non-issue,” said the Pakistani envoy this morning. Last night, he met with separatist leaders to brief them on the talks held recently between the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan.

Islamabad held its first Pakistan National Day parade in seven years on Monday, a symbolic show of strength in the war against Taliban insurgents. 

Prime Miniser Narendra Modi said on Twitter that he had wished his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif for Pakistan Day.

(Inputs: NDTV)