Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said he was disappointed by India’s “arrogant and negative response” to his call for resumption of peace talks between the two countries. “However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture,” the Pakistan prime minister tweeted.

On Friday, India called off a scheduled meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in New York after three policemen, who were abducted by suspected militants from their homes in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district the previous night, were found dead.

The Ministry of External Affairs said it had been left deeply disturbed by the killings and Pakistan’s decision to release 20 postal stamps “glorifying terrorists”.

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“It is obvious that behind Pakistan’s proposal for talks to make a fresh beginning, evil agenda of Pakistan stands exposed and true face of new Prime Minister of Pakistan [Imran Khan] has been revealed to world in his first few months in the office,” said Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi called India’s decision unfortunate and blamed “internal pressure” in the country for the decision. Pakistan was of the view that everyone would benefit if the two countries sit together and resolve their problems, ANI quoted him as saying on Saturday. “I regret the way India first accepted our goodwill and then rejected it,” he said. “They first agreed but later had to find excuses to reject our proposal.”

Qureshi said India had cited an instance from July as the reason for calling off the meeting. “It was inappropriate,” he added.

President Arif Alvi on Friday said India had negated Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “outstanding peace overture...in their usual belligerent manner”.