Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar raises terror issue on visit to Pakistan

NEW DELHI: Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar flagged New Delhi’s longstanding concerns on crossborder terrorism during talks with his Pakistani counterpart in Islamabad on Tuesday. Even as he emphasised on a South Asian framework for closer integration in the region, he expressed New Delhi’s dismay over the slow movement of trial in the 26/11 case.

He said that ensuring peace on the border was vital for moving Indo-Pak relations forward. Jaishankar, who landed in Islamabad in the morning as part of the Saarc Yatra, discussed bilateral issues during talks with Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhary. Both sides agreed to work together to find common ground and narrow differences.

Jaishankar said that during the talks, he "reiterated our known concerns on cross-border terrorism, including on the Mumbai case," according to official sources in New Delhi. The Indian foreign secretary said in answer to a question that he was glad to be in Islamabad as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative of a Saarc Yatra.

He said he "conveyed the expectations of our leadership on Saarc and their determination to forge a cooperative relationship with all our neighbours". Jaishankar said both sides "discussed ideas and initiatives to take Saarc forward. Pakistan will be the next Saarc chair and India would like to work with Pakistan to help Saarc achieve its potential".

"Naturally, my visit provided an opportunity to discuss our bilateral relations. We engaged on each other’s concerns and interests in an open manner. We agreed to work together to find common ground and narrow differences," said Jaishankar.

"We agreed that ensuring peace and tranquillity on the border was vital. Delhi has been extremely worried over repeated ceasefire violations along LoC and attempts by Pak-based terrorists to cross into J&K. Pakistan is understood to have proposed CBMs to uphold ceasefire along LoC in place since 2003," he said.