- Indian Foreign Office confirms Sushma Swaraj’s participation in Heart of Asia moot in Islamabad
- Sartaj Aziz says Indian minister to meet PM, hold talks with Pakistani officials
- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also confirms participation in moot on Afghanistan
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will jointly inaugurate the Fifth Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process Ministerial Conference being hosted by Pakistan on Wednesday, as Indian authorities announced that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will also participate in the moot besides holding talks with Pakistani leadership, the first visit by India’s top diplomat to Pakistan in three years.
Swaraj will lead an Indian delegation to Islamabad for talks on Afghanistan, India’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said on his Twitter page.
“Swaraj would meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif tomorrow (Tuesday),” said PM’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz. He added that he would also be meeting the Indian foreign minister. “This is a good beginning, the deadlock that was present has to some extent been removed,” he stated.
Highlighting the importance of Pak-India relations, Aziz said various matters on resumption of composite dialogue process between the two countries will be discussed during talks with the Indian minister.
The visit is part of efforts to restart a peace dialogue plagued by militant attacks and distrust.
Taken by surprise, Indian opposition parties have questioned the Indian government’s on-off approach to talks and a former foreign minister from Modi’s party said the policy was being conducted in the shadows.
Meanwhile, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has also confirmed that he would travel to Pakistan for The Heart of Asia conference in Islamabad, in a sign of fresh efforts to reduce tension between the two neighbouring countries.
“This is not Pakistan’s conference, this is Afghanistan’s conference,” Ghani, who had not previously confirmed his attendance, told reporters at a news conference in Kabul.
Under pressure from his ally the United States, Ghani has stepped up efforts to improve relations, although they received a setback when peace talks with the Taliban, facilitated by Pakistan, broke down in July.
Speaking in Kabul on Sunday, newly appointed US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson, urged the two countries to work together.
“We appreciate the outreach that President Ghani has undertaken since becoming president to improve relations with Pakistan,” he said.
“We have always encouraged the best possible relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, especially in the context of an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led reconciliation process.”
The Indian foreign minister and the Afghan president will be travelling to Pakistan to attend The Heart of Asia conference in Islamabad, previously held in Turkey, Kazakhstan and China.
Since taking office in 2014, Modi has authorised a more robust approach to Pakistan, giving security forces the authority to retaliate forcefully along their disputed border and has demanded an end to insurgent attacks in Indian territory.
Swaraj’s visit is the first ministerial-level visit to Pakistan since the then foreign minister, S.M. Krishna, travelled to Islamabad in 2012, which was before Modi became prime minister.
HEART OF ASIA MOOT:
The Conference will be preceded by Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) on Tuesday (today).
“We are looking forward to the participation of high-ranking delegations from 14 participating states, 17 supporting countries and 12 International and regional organisations,” a Foreign Office statement said.
Foreign ministers from 10 countries have confirmed participation in the conference, the statement added.
The Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process was established in 2011 at the initiative of Afghanistan and Turkey.
The main objective of the process is to foster efforts for regional cooperation and connectivity with a view to promoting long-term peace and stability as well as progress and development in Afghanistan, and the region.
The Fifth Ministerial Conference is expected to adopt a forward looking Islamabad Declaration entitled “Enhanced Cooperation for Countering Security Threats and Promoting Connectivity in the Heart of Asia Region”.
The declaration would underline commitments from the Heart of Asia countries and partners for sustained efforts towards promoting peace and security, economic development and connectivity in the region, the statement concluded.
