Pak FM to visit India by July

Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Feb 10 (PTI) India and Pakistan have agreed toresume dialogue on "all issues" and Foreign Minister ShahMahmood Qureshi will visit New Delhi by July to reviewprogress in the parleys, the Foreign Office here announcedtoday.

The decision to resume the dialogue, suspended by Indiain the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out byPakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba, was made during talks betweenthe Foreign Secretaries of the two countries on the margins ofa SAARC meet in Thimphu last week.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani expressed his"satisfaction on the important decision taken both by Pakistanand India to resume the full spectrum of dialogue," accordingto a statement issued by the Premier''s office.

He appreciated his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh''svision for "opening a new chapter in the relations between thetwo countries which Pakistan fully reciprocates."

Before Foreign Minister Qureshi''s visit to India,secretaries and officials of the two countries will hold aseries of meetings to discuss issues like counter-terrorism,peace and security, Kashmir, Siachen and economic matters,Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said in a statement.

The two sides have agreed to "resume dialogue on allissues following the spirit of the Thimphu meeting between thetwo Prime Ministers" last year, he said.

Pakistan''s Foreign Minister will visit India by July to"review progress in the dialogue process with his counterpart"S M Krishna and this will be preceded by a meeting of theForeign Secretaries, Basit said.

The two sides also agreed that before Qureshi''s visit,meetings at the level of secretaries and other officials willbe convened on counter-terrorism, including progress on thetrial of suspects charged with involvement in the Mumbaiattacks, humanitarian issues, peace and security, includingconfidence-building measures, Jammu and Kashmir, promotion offriendly exchanges, Siachen, economic issues, WullarBarrage-Tulbul Navigation Project and Sir Creek. (More) PTIRHL KIM AKJ