India's FM to visit Pakistan tomorrow

Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj will hold talks with Pakistan on Wednesday, the first visit by India's top diplomat to Pakistan in three years.

Swaraj will lead an Indian delegation to Islamabad for talks on Afghanistan, India's foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said on his Twitter page.

"Swaraj would meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif tomorrow," said adviser to the prime minister on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz.

He added that he would also be meeting the Indian foreign minister.

“This is a good beginning, the deadlock that was present has to some extent been removed,” stated Aziz.

Highlighting the importance of Pak-India relations, Aziz said various matters on resumption of composite dialogue process between the two countries will be discussed during talks with the Indian minister.

The visit is part of efforts to restart a peace dialogue plagued by militant attacks and distrust.

Taken by surprise, Indian opposition parties have questioned the Indian government's on-off approach to talks and a former foreign minister from Modi's party said the policy was being conducted in the shadows.

Read: NSAs’ talks cancelled over Indian conditions

Afghan President Ghani to attend talks in Pakistan

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani confirmed on Monday that he would also travel to Pakistan for The Heart of Asia conference in Islamabad, in a sign of fresh efforts to reduce tension between the two neighbouring countries.

“This is not Pakistan's conference, this is Afghanistan's conference,” Ghani, who had not previously confirmed his attendance, told reporters at a news conference in Kabul.

Under pressure from his ally the United States, Ghani has stepped up efforts to improve relations, although they received a setback when peace talks with the Taliban, facilitated by Pakistan, broke down in July.

Speaking in Kabul on Sunday, newly appointed US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson, urged the two countries to work together.

“We appreciate the outreach that President Ghani has undertaken since becoming president to improve relations with Pakistan,” he said.

“We have always encouraged the best possible relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, especially in the context of an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led reconciliation process.”

The Indian foreign minister and the Afghan president will be travelling to Pakistan to attend The Heart of Asia conference in Islamabad, previously held in Turkey, Kazakhstan and China.

Background

Since taking office in 2014, Modi has authorised a more robust approach to Pakistan, giving security forces the authority to retaliate forcefully along their disputed border and has demanded an end to insurgent attacks in Indian territory.

Swaraj's visit is the first ministerial-level visit to Pakistan since the then foreign minister, S.M. Krishna, travelled to Islamabad in 2012, which was before Modi became prime minister.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sharif resumed high-level contacts with a brief conversation at climate change talks in Paris last week and their national security advisers met in Bangkok on Sunday.

Earlier, security adviser level talks between India and Pakistan, scheduled for August 23 and 24, were canceled as both nations reached a deadlock over Pakistan's insistence to hold a meeting with Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders in New Delhi on August 23 despite India’s ‘advice’ to the contrary.

Pakistan on August 22 said that it had come to the conclusion that the proposed National Security Adviser (NSA) level talks between Pakistan and India would not serve any purpose if conducted on the basis of the two conditions laid down by Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Sawaraj.

The Indian foreign minister had earlier said in a presser that India had made clear on August 18 that the scheduled meeting between national security advisers will only discuss issues related to terrorism.

"No other topic will come under discussion," she said, adding that all outstanding issues including Kashmir are part of the composite dialogue between the two countries which had not yet resumed.

Sawaraj had also said India did not recognise a third party in talks with Pakistan, referring to Pakistan's invitation to Hurriyat leaders for a meeting in Delhi.

The announcement came hours before Aziz was to leave for India on August 23.