Asia

Pakistan chastises arch-rival India at Islamabad gathering

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Kashmiris burn a representation of an Indian flag as they chant slogans outside the Foreign Office in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. People have rallied in the capital against the imminent visit of India's Interior Minister Rajnath Singh to attend the SAARC organization meeting. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash) (The Associated Press)

Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudry Nisar Ali Khan addresses a news conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Khan says his country was open to dialogue with arch-rival India but with dignity and respect. Without naming India, he said no country could suppress a freedom movement and attack ???unarmed??? people in the name of terrorism. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash) (The Associated Press)

In this photo release by Pakistan's Press Information Department, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, left, speaks at a conference of SAARC countries on peace and cooperation in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Hundreds of Pakistani's have rallied in the capital, Islamabad, against the imminent visit of India's interior minister, Rajnath Singh. (Press Information Department via AP) (The Associated Press)

Pakistan's interior minister has chastised arch-rival India over violence in the contested region of Kashmir.

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan says no country should attack "unarmed" people in the name of fighting terrorism. He says Pakistan is "open to dialogue" but with "dignity and respect."

He spoke on Thursday as a regional gathering of South Asian nations concluded in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

The gathering has been marred by daily anti-India rallies by hundreds of Pakistanis who protested against India's rule in the disputed region. The protesters also denounced India's interior minister, Rajnath Singh, who attended the Islamabad meeting.

The predominantly Muslim region of Kashmir, now divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in its entirety. Recent clashes there have killed at least 49 people.