Pak seeks to revive peace process in FS-level meeting

Islamabad, Apr 25: Pakistan is expected to ask India to revive the stalled peace process in the ice-breaking meeting between the foreign secretaries of the two countries in New Delhi, sources said today.

Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry will travel to New Delhi tomorrow to attend the Heart of Asia regional conference, Foreign Office (FO) said.

Diplomatic sources said Chaudhry will meet his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the conference. "The two diplomats will discuss various issues. Pakistan will also seek revival of peace process as was agreed in December," they said.

This will be first formal meeting between Jaishankar and Chaudhry after the announcement of Bilateral Comprehensive Dialogue by the Foreign Ministers in Islamabad last December. The two secretaries had an informal brief interaction during a SAARC meeting in Nepal in March this year.

Pakistani sources said no major breakthrough was expected in the meeting to be held under the shadow of the Pathankot attack and the arrest of an alleged Indian spy in the country. FO said Pakistani delegation will also hold bilateral meetings with other countries. It, however, did not mention anything about Chaudhry’s meeting with Jaishankar.

Pakistan has continued to play an active role in the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process, which was established in 2011 as a platform to discuss regional issues including security, economic cooperation and connectivity among Afghanistan, its neighbours and regional countries with a view to promote lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan, the Foreign Office statement said.

Pakistan had hosted the fifth Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference in Islamabad on December 9, 2015. The conference had adopted a forward looking Islamabad Declaration entitled 'Emphasising Enhanced Cooperation for Countering Security Threats and Promoting Regional Connectivity'.

PTI