Indo-Pak talks back on track: PM Narendra Modi to attend SAARC summit in Islamabad

PM Narendra Modi's visit to Pakistan will be the first prime ministerial visit from India in 12 years.

New Delhi: With India and Pakistan agreeing to start a comprehensive bilateral dialogue, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Islamabad to attend the SAARC Summit likely to be held in September 2016.

PM Modi's visit to Pakistan will be the first prime ministerial visit from India in 12 years.

"He will be coming," Swaraj told reporters when asked if Modi will visit Pakistan to attend the Summit.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the last Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan who had come here in January 2004 and attended the SAARC summit besides holding talks with then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

Meanwhile, both the South Asian neighbours agreed to a comprehensive bilateral dialogue and directed the foreign secretaries to work out the modalities of the meetings, a joint statement issued after talks between Sushma Swaraj and the Pakistani prime minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said.

The joint statement said Sushma Swaraj and Aziz “condemned terrorism and resolved to cooperate to eliminate it”.

“They noted the successful talks on terrorism and security-related issues in Bangkok (on December 6) between the two NSAs (national security advisors) and decided that the NSAs will continue to address all issues connected to terrorism,” it stated.

According to the statement, Pakistan assured India that all steps are being taken to expedite the early conclusion of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks trial.