The will be the first time that both Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers will be under the same roof this year following New Delhi's removal of the special status for the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi have both confirmed their participation at the annual meet of SAARC foreign ministers on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly starting from September 17. The meet will take place on September 26 in New York and confirmation from both sides has been given to SAARC's chair — Nepal.
The will be the first time that both Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers will be under the same roof this year following New Delhi's removal of the special status for the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Last year, too, India had snubbed Pakistan at the informal meet of the SAARC Foreign Ministers and strongly raised the issue of harbouring terrorists. At the time, then foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and Qureshi were both at the meet, but they did not acknowledge each other. Moreover, the planned 2-hour meet, held in the Westin Grand Central Hotel in New York, was concluded in just over an hour with India's external affairs minister making her statement and leaving.
Since the cancellation of SAARC summit in 2016 in the aftermath of the Uri terror attack, India's focus has been shifted to BIMSTEC.
Meanwhile, after Jaishankar said on Friday that India is willing to discuss outstanding issues with Pakistan bilaterally in an atmosphere free of terror and violence, Qureshi on Saturday responded with a guarded statement that Pakistan is ready for a "conditional dialogue" with India.
Jaishankar's remark was made during the minister's meeting with European Union Commissioner Christos Stylianides after the latter reiterated the EU's stance that New Delhi and Islamabad need to re-open dialogue through diplomatic channels for the de-escalation of tensions in Kashmir.
Pakistan has approached various world leaders to seek their interventions into the issue, however, Pakistan has been told to engage bilaterally with India as the Kashmir issue is strictly New Delhi's internal matter.
—Zee Media Newsroom
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "S Jaishankar and SM Qureshi")
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}