Islamabad: In a major development indicating that ties between India and Pakistan are getting back on track, both sides have now agreed to resume the peace dialogue process through what will now be termed as the 'Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue'.
The information was given out in a joint statement issued by both sides following India's Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj's discussions with Adviser to the Pakistan Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on the sidelines of the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process in Islamabad on December 8-9.
Read Also: Full text of Joint Statement
“Both sides have agreed to start the negotiations afresh,” the Indian Foreign minister said addressing a press conference after the discussions. “Both sides have agreed to talk on all unresolved issues on the table,” Swaraj said, adding that the foreign secretaries of both sides would meet soon to discuss the modalities and schedule of the proposed meetings.
The Foreign minister also called on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during her visit.
Both sides have now agreed to restart the dialogue process, which will now include “peace and security, CBMs, Jammu and Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, Wullar barrage, economic and commercial cooperation, counter terrorism, narcotics control and humanitarian issues, people to people exchanges and religious terrorism,” the joint statement issued by the two sides said.
The statement also makes note of the successful talks between the two sides on terrorism and security related issues in Bangkok. Both sides have also decided to “address all issues related to terrorism” at the NSA level.
The move to resume the dialogue process marks a major departure from the stance adopted by both sides; particularly by India in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Prior to Swaraj's arrival in Pakistan, Sartaj Aziz had said that his talks with the Indian foreign minister would focus on exploring the possibility of resuming the composite dialogue process between the two neighbours.
However, India had, until now, maintained that dialogue between the two sides would stick to the issue of terror alone and that the Kashmir issue will be discussed only later. At Ufa, PM Modi and Sharif had agreed upon discussing terrorism and maintaining peace on the border. India has repeatedly cited the Ufa declaration, saying there was no reference to Kashmir and hence it will not be one of the topics discussed.
NSA level talks scheduled in August this year were called off by Pakistan, terming the 'preconditions' set by India - that Aziz neither meet Hurriyat leaders in New Delhi nor raise the issue of Kashmir during the talks - as unacceptable.
However, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the climate change conference in Paris that is believed to have changed the tone and tenor of interactions between the two sides.
The NSAs of both countries had earlier met and discussed terrorism, Jammu & Kashmir and a range of key bilateral issues apart from agreeing to carry forward the 'constructive' engagement. The NSA-level discussions took place in Bangkok after the meeting between Modi and Sharif in Paris earlier this month.
