Dec 4 ‘Heart Of Asia’ meeting may open Indo-Pak channel

NEW DELHI: India’s mega exercise to contribute to the political and financial stability in Afghanistan — Heart of Asia Conference — will begin in Amritsar on December 4.

Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani, foreign ministers and senior officials of key global and regional powers, including Russia, China and Iran, are expected to attend the global meet.

The Modi government is hoping that the event will strengthen India’s antiterror narrative in the region.


This edition of the ‘Heart of Asia’ meet, organised for the first time in India, will deal with the challenges of terrorism, rise of Islamic State, cultural and civilisation similarities and cooperation in the educational sector, indicated persons familiar with the matter.

Highlight of the exercise could be the presence of Pak Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz. Hinting at Aziz’s participation, senior Pakistani officials hoped that it would help defuse tensions with India.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had attended the previous edition of the ‘Heart of Asia’ meet, held in Pakistan in December.

During a meeting with Aziz on the sidelines of that conference, the two leaders had decided to launch a dialogue process to normalise ties, but it was jeopardised by the Pathankot strikes in January.