Questions raised by India's prime minister about the control of the army and Pakistan's aims in Afghanistan are an excuse for delaying the resumption of talks, foreign minister said on Monday. India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told CNN International television on Sunday he was not clear if Pakistan's president was in control of the army and that Pakistan's objectives in Afghanistan were not necessarily those of the United States.

In the interview coinciding with a US visit, Singh also said he was worried about Pakistan's nuclear arsenal falling into the wrong hands and complained that Islamabad had not brought to justice perpetrators of last year's Mumbai attack. "I am disappointed," Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told Reuters.

"My feeling is India is dragging its feet and is looking for excuses to not resume the composite dialogue." Pakistan has acknowledged that the Mumbai assault was plotted and partly launched from its soil and is prosecuting seven suspects in a closed-door hearing. Qureshi said that showed Pakistan's seriousness in dealing with those behind the Mumbai attack.

Qureshi also rejected Singh's doubts about Pakistan's objectives in Afghanistan, saying the world recognised Pakistan's resolve in fighting militancy and its sacrifices. Qureshi said: "These statements do not help and this is not in line with reality." Qureshi also dismissed Singh's remark about the safety of Pakistan's nuclear weapons.

Copyright Reuters, 2009