Pakistan invites S Jaishankar for dialogue on Kashmir

NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s foreign secretary on Monday formally invited his Indian counterpart, S Jaishankar, for a dialogue on the Kashmir issue.

Aizaz Chaudhry handed over his invitation to Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale on Monday afternoon, a Pakistan foreign ministry statement said. “The letter highlights the international obligation of both the countries, India and Pakistan, to resolve the Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions,” it said. India hasn’t yet reacted to the invitation.

“India would welcome a dialogue on contemporary and relevant issues in India-Pakistan relations.

At this time they include a stoppage of Pakistani support for crossborder terrorism, infiltration of terrorists like Bahadur Ali, incitement to violence and terrorism across the border...,” MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup had said.

The latest Pak move comes even as the countries deviated from the tradition of their PMs formally exchanging Independence Day greetings. It was a tradition that had been followed even during the 1971 crisis and in 1999 after the Kargil war.

“While this a deviation for what has been a normal practice, one must bear in mind that the two countries did not have a dialogue between 1994 and 1998,” said G Parthasarathy, who was India’s High Commissioner to Pakistan at the height of the Kargil crisis.