United States stresses for dialogue between Pak, India to work out bilateral issues

The Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process was established in 2011 as an initiative by Afghanistan and Turkey to foster regional cooperation and long-term peace in Afghanistan.

Earlier Ms. Swaraj and the Indian delegation comprising Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and India’s envoys to Pakistan and Afghanistan called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at his office in Islamabad.

The Advisor said during the conference it was chose to continue a constructive engagement between Pakistan and India.

“Both the countries have agreed to resume the stalled talks”, she said, adding: “The foreign secretaries of both the countries will meet and chart out the agenda for the meetings”.

The breakthrough has widely been hailed in Pakistan and India in the media. The subjects discussed in Bangkok covered “peace and security, terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir etc”.

“But today, let us at least resolve to help Afghanistan — in the best traditions of good neighbourliness — through more effective transit arrangements”, she said.

Following Wednesday’s meeting between Swaraj and Aziz, a joint declaration was issued in which the two sides agreed to discuss all outstanding issues, including peace and security; Kashmir; the disputed Siachen region; economic and commercial cooperation; counterterrorism; narcotics control; humanitarian issues; people-to-people exchanges; and religious tourism.

There has been a thaw recently, however, with the national security advisers of both countries conducting a “cordial” meeting in Bangkok on Monday, soon after Modi and Sharif spoke on the sidelines of the Paris Climate Conference in late November.

In July, India sent a letter to Pakistan inviting their NSA Sartaj Aziz for talks on August 23. “How this dialogue can be taken forward – the schedule and modalities will be decided in due course”, Ms Swaraj said.

The negotiations on Wednesday ultimately yielded the resumption of a multi-pronged, “comprehensive” dialogue that was suspended three years ago – an outcome that reflects an as-yet-unexplained about-turn by the Narendra Modi government on Pakistan.

“It is important and we want to take the relations further-I will only be able to tell you more when I am leaving”, she told reporters after arriving at the airport Tuesday.

Ghani dwelt upon the scourge of terrorism, the refugee crisis and the “unintended consequences” of military operations against the Taliban in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt.

Making arrangements for the series – which could run from December 17-January 3 – would be “challenging” at such short notice, Khan said, “but we will do it once we get clearance from the Indian government”.