New Delhi : Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj will meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York later this month, said the Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ said a spokesperson of External Affairs in New Delhi on Thursday.
Earlier this month, Indian PM Narendra Modi, in his a communique to Prime Minister Imran Khan, had stated that he seeks “meaningful and constructive” engagement between the two neighbours.
In reciprocation, PM Khan recently reached out to the Indian premier, officially extending the offer to resume peace talks.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said “The letter we have received was a response to that letter which was handed over to us by Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India on Sept 17.
“Another letter was handed over from Pakistani FM to our external affairs minister, basically reiterating the PM of Pakistan’s proposal for a meeting between the external affairs minister and the Pakistani FM. I can confirm that on the request of the Pakistani side, a meeting between the external affairs minister and the Pakistani foreign minister will take place on the sidelines of the UNGA at a mutually convenient date and time.”
He, however, stressed that the planned meeting should not be misconstrued as a dialogue.
“I must differentiate between meeting and a dialogue,” said the Indian official. “This is a meeting and not dialogue. This is a meeting which we have agreed to, based on a request which we have got from the Pakistani side.”
During Wednesday’s weekly briefing, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Faisal had confirmed that PM Khan has written a letter to Indian PM Modi, calling for the resumption of the peace dialogue between the two countries.
“PM has responded to PM Modi, in a positive spirit, reciprocating his sentiments,” shared Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal on Twitter, without specifying whether the communication was via a letter. “Let’s talk and resolve all issues. We await formal response from India.”
