New Delhi: Wading into Pakistan's domestic politics, India on Monday described the killing of veteran Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti as a "tragic loss" to the people of Balochistan and Pakistan. The External Affairs Ministry termed Saturday's killing "unfortunate."

This military attack and the heavy casualties in the continuing military operations in Balochistan "underline the need for peaceful dialogue to address the grievances and aspirations of people of Balochistan," a press statement said. Military force, the Ministry underlined, could never solve political problems.

Put your house in order: Pakistan

Nirupama Subramanian writes from Islamabad:

Pakistan replied to India's statement on the killing of Bugti by listing several insurgencies within India and urged New Delhi to "focus on putting its own house in order" instead of interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.

A spokesperson said the statement "is not only against the well-established norms of inter-state relations but also a blatant interference in the internal affairs of a neighbouring country."

It said India's "purported" concern for the people of other countries was "ill-advised" considering it had so many of insurgencies of its own — the statement contained a long list of insurgencies in the North-East — that were being "suppressed by force."

Using almost exactly the same words as the Indian statement on Balochistan, Pakistan asked New Delhi to "politically address the grievances and aspirations of the peoples of these areas".

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