Pakistani high commissioner Abdul Basit, foreign secretary S Jaishankar‘review’ ties

NEW DELHI: In a significant development, foreign secretary S Jaishankar met Pakistani high commissioner Abdul Basit on Thursday. While the meeting was described as more in the nature of a courtesy call, diplomatic sources said the two diplomats reviewed the status of ties between the two countries which have not seen any high-level contact between them for the past many months.

In the meeting which lasted? for 45 minutes, Jaishankar and Basit explored the possibility of resuming dialogue. India had called off the foreign secretary-level talks last year in August after Basit decided to meet Hurriyat leaders days ahead of the talks.

"The talks were held in a very cordial manner. It was a courtesy call by the high commissioner on? the new foreign secretary but some exploratory discussions did take place," said a source.

Basit said India needed to formally propose any resumption of dialogue as it had cancelled the talks in August last year. Jaishankar, however, categorically reiterated India's position that? for any talks to take place, Pakistan needed to expedite the Mumbai attacks trial and show a willingness to rein in India-specific terror groups.

The foreign secretary said PM Narendra Modi was keen to have peaceful, friendly ties with all countries in the neighbourhood and that Pakistan was not an exception.

Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan had called on Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif this week but that was in relation to the TAPI pipeline. Pakistan has made a series of gestures to elicit a favorable response from India over the possibility of resuming dialogue including its decision to release 173 Indian fishermen this week. India, however, is not likely to hurry into any dialogue.

US ambassador to India Richard Verma had said on Wednesday that the US would continue to work with both India and Pakistan to promote dialogue, combat terrorism and "advance regional economic integration in south and central Asia"