Maryam Nawaz Sharif, a key opposition leader in Pakistan and the vice president of the PML-N, came down hard on the Imran Khan government for holding secret talks with India, reported Dawn. She warned that the people of Pakistan and Kashmiris won’t allow them to do “another bargain on the issue." 

Ending her month-long silence on the issue, she said, “If some people are making a decision on Kashmir while keeping it secret with the people, especially Kashmiris, and the parliament, and if they believe that they would again do it like they previously threw Kashmir into India’s lap by allowing it to annex (the disputed territory) with the country .., then listen, we will not let you do anything against the wishes of the people of Kashmir.”

She further questioned the necessity of holding the talks secretly. “Are you silently doing a deal? What discussions are being held on Kashmir? What give-and-take is being done in the name of friendship?” she was quoted as saying by Dawn. 

This came after many reports suggested that top intelligence officials of both countries are engaged in back-channel talks to normalize the strained ties between the two nuclear-armed nations.