Despite India taking a strong exception to his earlier telephonic conversation with senior separatist leader, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Pakistan foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi rang up hardline separatist leader, Syed Ali Geelani on Sunday.

Reports here said Qureshi had a detailed discussion with Geelani on "the deteriorating situation and gross human rights violations in Kashmir".

Last week, Pakistan foreign minister had called Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and even invited him to British Parliament "where human rights abuses by Indian troops in occupied Kashmir would be discussed at a seminar", reports said.

In its report on Shah Mahmood Qureshi's telephone talk with the Mirwaiz and Geelani, Radio Pakistan said, "Qureshi maintained that on Kashmir Solidarity Day, Pakistan will raise a strong voice to highlight Indian persecution and brutalities being perpetrated in occupied Kashmir".

After his phone conversation with Mirwaiz Umer Farooq last week, India had summoned Pakistan high commissioner and conveyed to him that the act amounted to direct interference in India's internal affairs.

Responding to India's summoning of Pakistan envoy, Shah Mahmood Qureshi issued a statement in which he said, "Kashmir is a cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy and our stance on the dispute is very clear".

--IANS

sq/prs

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)