Indian foreign secretary to visit Pakistan, Modi tells PM Nawaz

S Jaishankar will travel to Islamabad where "India will push its agenda", confirms Indian foreign ministry official

ISLAMABAD: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi informed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that his new foreign secretary will soon visit all South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries and would also like to visit Pakistan. 

According to the Prime Minister House, Modi called PM Nawaz on Friday to discuss regional issues. The conversation between the two leaders lasted for 10 minutes.

PM Nawaz, recalling his meeting with Modi in May last year, welcomed the foreign secretary to Pakistan.

Would be sending our new Foreign Secretary on a SAARC Yatra soon to further strengthen our ties.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 13, 2015

The phone call from the Indian premier came after a telephonic conversation between US President Barack Obama and PM Nawaz. Obama had informed the premier about his recent visit to India and inquired about the ongoing military operation Zarb-e-Azb.

Later on, the Indian foreign ministry confirmed that the secretary will travel to Pakistan as part of a regional tour in coming months, the first high-level visit since relations between the arch rivals soured last year

S Jaishankar will travel to Islamabad where "India will push its agenda" during bilateral meetings with officials, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said at a briefing.

"The foreign secretary will visit all SAARC countries including Pakistan," Akbaruddin told reporters without giving specific dates and referring to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

Akbaruddin did not say whether the visit would likely result in peace talks resuming between the foreign secretaries of the nuclear-armed neighbours -- talks which India abruptly cancelled last year.

It's pertinent to mention that PM Nawaz - during his talk with Obama - expressed Pakistan's desire of becoming a member of the Nuclear Supplier Group. PM also said that India does not deserve a permanent seat in UN Security Council.