Indian foreign secretary to visit Pakistan in March

Published February 24, 2015
Indian foreign secretary, S. Jaishankar. — AFP/File
Indian foreign secretary, S. Jaishankar. — AFP/File

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan-India foreign secretary level talks are expected to resume in the first week of March 2015 in Islamabad, senior diplomats from both sides told Dawn.

Diplomats are in touch over the expected visit and are also finalising the agenda of the talks in Islamabad.

"The Indian government has communicated to Pakistan that Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is expected to visit Islamabad in the first week of March to meet his Pakistani counterpart," a senior Pakistani diplomat, who wished not to be named, told Dawn.

The Pakistani diplomat, however, said no exact date has been shared but it was hoped that the final date would also be communicated soon.

A senior Indian diplomat told Dawn that S. Jaishankar is likely to arrive in Islamabad in the first week of March.

However, sources said that S Jaishankar is scheduled to visit Dhaka on March 2 and Islamabad may come next in his itinerary.

Pakistan and India, who have fought two of their three wars over disputed Muslim-majority Kashmir, have traded blame for an upsurge in firing and shelling which started in October last year.

US Secretary of State John Kerry last month appealed to both nations to resume the talks, saying Washington was “deeply concerned” about a surge in violence on the border in Kashmir.

Relations between the neighbours soured over increased firing along their borders and India called of foreign secretary level talks in August enraged that Pakistan consulted Kashmiri separatist leaders before the dialogue began.

Examine: India calls off foreign secretary level talks with Pakistan

Exchanges of fire across their de facto border and undisputed border further south have killed more than two dozen civilians and forced thousands to flee their homes on both sides.

Take a look: Indian foreign secretary to visit Pakistan

Opinion

Editorial

IHK resolution
08 Nov, 2024

IHK resolution

IF the Indian state is serious about its democratic credentials, then it should listen to the voices emanating from...
Climate realities
08 Nov, 2024

Climate realities

THE Air Quality Index in Lahore once again shot past the 1,000-level mark on Wednesday morning, registering at an...
Rule by fear
08 Nov, 2024

Rule by fear

THE abduction of an opposition MNA, as claimed by PTI, is yet another grim episode in Pakistan’s ongoing crisis of...
Trump 2.0
Updated 07 Nov, 2024

Trump 2.0

It remains to be seen how his promises to bring ‘peace’ to Middle East reconcile with his blatantly pro-Israel bias.
Fait accompli
07 Nov, 2024

Fait accompli

A SLEW of secretively conceived and hastily enacted legislation has achieved its intended result: the powers of the...
IPP contracts
07 Nov, 2024

IPP contracts

THE government expects the ongoing ‘negotiations’ with power producers aimed at revising the terms of sovereign...