Pakistan proposes foreign secretary-level talks with India, wants Islamabad to be venue

Islamabad: Is it the beginning of thaw in India-Pakistan ties? Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs adviser to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, on Wednesday proposed January 16 for talks between the foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India.

"Pakistan is now waiting for India's response to the proposed dates," Dawn online quoted Aziz as saying.

Pakistan wants the foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries to be held in Islamabad.

After holding talks with Sharif on the sidelines of the 'Heart of Asia' conference here earlier this month, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the neighbouring country during 2016.

Both the countries have agreed to reinitiate a comprehensive dialogue process, Swaraj had said during a joint press conference later.

The foreign secretaries' dialogue will include matters related to peace and security, Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, Wullar Barrage, Tulbul Navigation Project, economic and commercial cooperation, counter-terrorism, narcotics control, humanitarian issues, people-to-people exchanges and religious tourism.

The national security advisers of Pakistan and India had a brief and unannounced meeting in Bangkok, which followed an informal and short meeting between the prime ministers of both the countries in Paris at the World Climate Summit.

(With IANS inputs)