ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan have agreed to hold talks to discuss repatriation of Pakistani prisoners of war and other humanitarian issues, a Foreign Office spokesman said today [July 3]. The date and venue for the talks are under consideration. The spokesman said the Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs, Mr Aziz Ahmed, had received a reply to his letter of June 23 from Indian External Affairs Minister Sardar Swaran Singh.

According to New Delhi reports, India is understood to have proposed to Pakistan the holding of official-level talks in New Delhi later this month on the India-Bangladesh joint offer of April 17 on the three-way repatriation of prisoners and civilians. The proposal is believed to be contained in a letter sent by Sardar Swaran Singh … to Mr. Aziz Ahmed. In a communication … about 10 days ago, Mr Aziz Ahmed had suggested such a meeting at Murree … where in the absence of official recognition, it would not be possible for representatives of Bangladesh to be on hand for the consultations with the Indian delegation on the humanitarian problem arising out of the 1971 war. Indian sources said, however, if the talks are held in India, representatives of Bangladesh can be posted with the trend of the talks and consulted on the spot. No dates have yet been announced… . — News agencies

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2023