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India playing politics over POWs: Pak

Pakistan has accused India of 'playing politics' over the release of eight Pakistani military prisoners of war captured during the Kargil conflict.

A foreign ministry statement said New Delhi was asking Pakistan to sign a 'retroactive declaration of war' to secure the release of the men.

''India insists on a declaration of war in retrospect, whereas there was no such declaration either by Pakistan or India itself during the Kargil crisis,'' the statement said.

It said India wanted the declaration ''to satisfy India's thirst for propaganda. This is a reprehensible act against civilised norms of behaviour,'' it said.

It said that Pakistan had completed all the formalities required by the International Committee of the Red Cross after India said it would free the men as a goodwill gesture on Pakistani independence day on August 14.

It quoted a statement by the Pakistani high commission in New Delhi as saying the ''Indian authorities continue to play politics and delay their return to their families''.

Pakistan says that the eight POWs were thought to have been abducted after an Indian ambush across the military Line of Control.

UNI

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