Indian foreign secretary to visit Pakistan in March

The India-Pakistan foreign secretary level talks are expected to resume in March next in Islamabad, senior diplomats from both sides said Tuesday. Diplomats from both sides are in touch over the expected visit and are also finalising the agenda of the talks in Islamabad, Dawn online reported.

The Indian external ministry said in a Facebook interaction: "The Foreign Secretary in accordance with Prime Minister's directive would be undertaking a SAARC Yatra to all South Asian countries including Pakistan in March."

A Pakistani diplomat said no exact date has been shared but it was hoped that the final date would also be communicated soon.  A senior Indian diplomat based in Islamabad said Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar was likely to arrive in Islamabad in the first week of March.

However, sources said Jaishankar is scheduled to visit Dhaka March 2 and Islamabad may come next in his itinerary.  US Secretary of State John Kerry last month appealed to both nations to resume talks, saying Washington was "deeply concerned" about a surge in violence along the border in Kashmir.

Relations between the neighbours soured over increased firing along their borders and India called off the foreign secretary-level talks in August enraged that Pakistan consulted Kashmiri separatist leaders before the beginning of the dialogue.