Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will travel to Islamabad next week for the 7th SAARC Interior/Home Ministers’ Conference but will not have direct talks with his Pakistani counterpart on India-Pak issues. The Ministry of External Affairs said that the Minister will be in Pakistan for a multilateral event and there is no bilateral meeting scheduled with Pakistan’s Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
However, the Home Minister will use the SAARC forum to raise issues pertaining to cross-border terrorism, funding to terror groups, and illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and small arms. The conference will also discuss making coordinated and concerted efforts to combat these issues. Singh will be accompanied by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and several other senior officers of the Home Ministry.
Singh’s visit comes in the backdrop of a growing strain in Indo-Pak ties after Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of terrorist Burhan Wani’s killing on July 8. This will be the first visit by any senior Indian leader to Pakistan after the Pathankot attack on January 2 which halted the proposal for Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue.
“Our participation is in the context of our ‘neighbourhood first’ policy and our commitment to regional cooperation within the SAARC framework. The meeting also provides an opportunity for us to underline the high importance we attach to achieving forward movement on security cooperation in the region,” MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.
India has participated at Home Minister and Home Secretary level in previous such meetings also. “These meetings discuss regional cooperation on a number of security related matters and take stock of progress in various regional mechanisms,” Swarup said.
He added that India wants peaceful, cooperative relations with Pakistan and is prepared to discuss all outstanding issues with Islamabad in an atmosphere free of terror and violence. “It is incumbent on Pakistan to create such an atmosphere,” he stressed while stressing that humanitarian issues such as fishermen are important to India.
The three-tier meeting will begin at the joint secretary- level on August 2 and then move on to Secretary and Home Minister-level meetings. The meeting will also focus on strengthening networking among police authorities of SAARC member-countries and also enhance information-sharing among law enforcement agencies.
Meanwhile, the Director General of Border Security Force KK Sharma held a meeting with DG Pakistan Rangers Maj Gen Umar Farooq Burki from July 25-28 in lahore to discuss cross-border crimes. Though there has been greater adherence to ceasefire along the International Border since their last meeting in September 2015, the BSF DG stressed on having higher level of vigilance against cross-border infiltration to prevent terrorist activities and check smuggling in narcotics.