- Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj says Indian PM has accepted Pakistan’s invitation to visit Islamabad for 19th SAARC Summit
- Says Pakistan’s special investigation team will visit India on Mar 27 to probe Pathankot attack
- Aziz says hopeful of a meeting between Pakistani and Indian PMs on sidelines on nuclear security moot
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Thursday formally extended an invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the Pakistan-hosted 19th SAARC summit which is to be held later this year in Islamabad.
Sartaj handed the invitation over to Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on the sidelines of the 37th SAARC Council of Ministers Meeting.
The two dignitaries then held a one-to-one meeting in the evening, the first after the Jan 2 terrorist attack on the Pathankot air base.
Talking to media after the meeting, Swaraj said a Pakistani joint investigation team probing the Pathankot terror attack will visit India on March 27 and begin work the next day.
She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accepted Aziz’s invitation to attend the SAARC Summit in Islamabad in November this year.
Aziz, meanwhile, expressed hope that Modi and Sharif will meet in Washington on March 31, on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit.
“I hope both prime ministers will meet on March 31,” he said, but went on to add he was not sure if “a structured dialogue between the two leaders will take place.”
Earlier in the day, the two ministers met over breakfast on the sidelines of the ministers meeting.
Sartaj and Swaraj chatted while sitting next to each other at the breakfast hosted by Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa. They were also seen standing separately and talking informally for a few minutes.
On Wednesday night, the two exchanged pleasantries at a dinner hosted by Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. The two were seated next to each other and talked at length.
Aziz arrived in the Nepalese tourist city of Pokhara on Wednesday, where the Saarc Council of Foreign Ministers is meeting for reviewing the progress made by the regional grouping over the past year and setting direction for the next year.
Upon his arrival in Nepal, Aziz said he is willing to discuss all issues, including the Pathankot attack, with his Indian counterpart.
