Will 'positively consider' if India offers talks on Heart of Asia sidelines: Basit
The conference focusing on Afghanistan is due to be held in the first week of December
Pakistan's High Commissioner to India says 19th SAARC summit to be held in Islamabad. PHOTO: FILE
Ahead of a sought-after visit by Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz to attend Heart of Asia conference in India, Pakistan has said it will "positively consider" if India, as a host, proposed a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the forum.
"As a host, if India approaches us with a proposal [for talks on the sidelines], Pakistan will positively consider it," Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit told Aaj Tak, an Indian news channel, on Monday.
Aziz's would be the first high-level visit from Pakistan after the announcement of Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue in December last year which never took off.
Sartaj Aziz likely to attend conference in India to ‘defuse the tension’
In the recent past, the killing of Indian soldiers soured relations and led to a weeks of diplomatic quarrelling, with both Islamabad and New Delhi accusing opposing diplomats of spying and then expelling them.
The Heart of Asia conference focusing on Afghanistan is due to be held in the first week of December in Amritsar.
The conference will seek ways to help improve security and bring peace to Afghanistan, which has been mired in conflict since a US-led coalition toppled the Taliban government in 2001.
"As a host, if India approaches us with a proposal [for talks on the sidelines], Pakistan will positively consider it," Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit told Aaj Tak, an Indian news channel, on Monday.
Aziz's would be the first high-level visit from Pakistan after the announcement of Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue in December last year which never took off.
Sartaj Aziz likely to attend conference in India to ‘defuse the tension’
In the recent past, the killing of Indian soldiers soured relations and led to a weeks of diplomatic quarrelling, with both Islamabad and New Delhi accusing opposing diplomats of spying and then expelling them.
The Heart of Asia conference focusing on Afghanistan is due to be held in the first week of December in Amritsar.
The conference will seek ways to help improve security and bring peace to Afghanistan, which has been mired in conflict since a US-led coalition toppled the Taliban government in 2001.