Arriving in the neighbouring country on a first-ever visit by a minister in the Narendra Modi government, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday said the relationship between India and Pakistan should be better and that she will hold talks to find ways to improve bilateral ties.
“I have come with the message that ties between the two countries should be good and move forward,” said Swaraj immediately after landing in Islamabad.
Swaraj, who is on a two-day visit to Pakistan, will hold talks with her Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz and call on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday. However, she refused to comment on what she would be discussing with the Pakistani leaders, saying that, “What will happen during the talks will be known after meeting.”
Invited by Pakistan to attend the multi-lateral meet on Afghanistan, Swaraj will attend the conference on Wednesday before holding talks with Aziz, who said the focus would be on the resumption of composite dialogue process.
“Heart of Asia conference is very important for India because it is associated with Afghanistan. That is why I have come here to participate. Since it is happening in Pakistan, it is necessary and appropriate for me to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and hold talks with my counterpart Sartaz Aziz and talk about improving the bilateral ties and take them forward,” Swaraj said.
Adopting a cautious approach over the agenda of talks between Swaraj and Aziz, Indian officials said they will see how the meeting goes and if there will be any point of convergence.
Swaraj’s visit comes after talks between the National Security Advisors (NSAs) of India and Pakistan in Bangkok on Sunday, where they discussed terrorism, J&K and a range of key bilateral issues apart from agreeing to carry forward the “constructive” engagement.
Aziz had on Monday said that the deadlock in Indo-Pak ties had eased to some extent.
Swaraj’s visit comes three years after former external affairs minister S M Krishna’s visited the neighbouring country in 2012 when the two sides had inked a visa liberalisation pact. She is accompanied by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, who was also present during the four-hour-long meeting between NSA Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Naseer Janjua in the Thai capital.
The joint statement after the meeting of NSAs read the talks were held pursuant to a meeting between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the climate meet in Paris, rejecting the version given by the Indian side then that it was a mere “exchange of courtesies”.
Sharif had told Pakistani media that he had a “good meeting” with Modi and “doors of dialogue should open”. Before Paris, Modi and Sharif had held bilateral meeting in Russian city of Ufa.
My expectations are positive from talks with Swaraj: Sartaj Aziz
Ahead of his talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Pakistan Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Tuesday said he was expecting a “good and positive” outcome from the meeting on Wednesday and both sides should take forward the engagement to improve ties. “My expectations are good and positive from talks on Wednesday," Aziz said. Immediately after arriving here, Swaraj said the relationship between India and Pakistan should be better and that she will hold talks to find ways to improve bilateral ties.