July 28, 2016
News
Indian home minister likely to visit Islamabad for SAARC conference
Last visit by any Indian key figure to Pakistan was in December last year
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Pakistan to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Interior and Home Ministers conference on August 3, Indian media said on Thursday.
By: NNIIt was reported that Singh will hold meetings with the Pakistan authorities and discuss bilateral terms during his two-day visit. It will be the first visit of any Indian lawmaker to Pakistan ever since Pathankot airbase attack in Indian Punjab claimed lives of seven army personnel in January.
If true, the visit will happen when tensions between the neighbours are heightened after around 52 deaths in held Kashmir by Indian forces. Days before the report, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj alleged Islamabad of sponsoring terrorism and said that Pakistan’s dream to annex Kashmir will never be realised.
The recent escalation of tensions came after Burhan Wani, a freedom fighter was killed by the Indian troops for protesting against the unjust occupation for decades and episodes of brutality.
The last visit by an Indian key figure to Pakistan was in December when Swaraj participated in the Heart of Asia Conference in the federal capital. She met with the Prime Minister and vowed to further dialogue process to better relations.
Singh’s propagated visit has come in two days after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated that no dialogue with India is possible in present circumstances. He was referring to the atrocities being committed in occupied Kashmir valley.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk