Sushma will lead India’s delegation to the ministerial meeting, called the “Heart of Asia”, on Wednesday in Islamabad, India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup said in a Twitter post.
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Today’s meeting was attended by Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif, National Security Advisor Lt Gen (Rtd) Nasir Janjua, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan, Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and other officials, according to an official statement.
The J&K Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, welcomed the resumption of Indo-Pak talks in Bangkok, where the NSAs of the two countries met on Sunday, hoping that it will set the tone for “reconciliation” between the two neighbouring countries.
The two sides agreed “to carry forward the constructive engagement between the two countries” and paved the way for Ms Swaraj’s visit to Pakistan.
The momentum comes after a meeting a week earlier between Modi and Sharif on the sidelines of the Paris climate change summit, the first interaction since formal talks were cancelled in August.
But the real test lies in how New Delhi will deal with the situation if Pakistan continues to engage with Kashmiri separatists, since the Modi government has taken a zero tolerance view on this. Swaraj will also meet Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif during her visit. “The dialogue should be focused and not just a time-killing exercise”, NC’s general secretary, Ali Muhammad Sagar, said.
It further said that the joint statement issued after meeting shows “New Delhi rowing back from its recent position and agreeing to discuss Jammu and Kashmir in the otherwise familiar mix of issues”.
Last month, Pakistan had extended an invitation to Sushma for the meeting of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process to be held in Islamabad on December 8 and 9.
Syed Ali Geelani said that India had also used every effort to resolve the Kashmir issue with the help of its military might but it could not succeed in this poly.
Swaraj will reach Islamabad on Tuesday to attend the Heart of Asia regional conference, the latest sign of warming ties between the nuclear neighbors. Kashmir remains an unfinished agenda for India as it considers the territory occupied by Pakistan as illegal.
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The Bangkok meeting is widely seen as a breakthrough in relations, especially in light of the fact that the two countries had called off planned talks in September due to Pakistani requests to meet with pro-independence figures in the disputed Kashmir region.
