TIA Correspondent /
India has proposed Pakistan to hold meeting of National Security Advisors of two countries on August 23 and 24. According to Pakistani media, Pakistan Prime Minister’s Advisor on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has confirmed receiving India’s proposal. However, Mr. Aziz said said, the agenda of the meeting, which is expected to focus on terrorism-related issues, has not yet been finalized.
The national security advisers’ meeting is part of the understanding reached between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit held in Ufa, Russia last month.
Despite the two Premiers agreeing to re-start talks on bilateral issues during their meeting in Ufa, the recent Gurdaspur terror attack has increased tension between the two countries.
India is awaiting Islamabad’s response before making an official announcement about the talks which the two countries decided to have when PM Narendra Modi met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif last month in Ufa, Russia, on the sidelines of the SCO summit.
Pakistan on Sunday released 164 Indian fishermen in keeping with the statement issued jointly in Ufa which asked for release of all fishermen by both sides within 15 days.
As host nation, India had to propose the dates for the NSA dialogue. As per the statement issued in Ufa, Pakistani NSA Sartaj Aziz was to visit Delhi for a meeting with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval. Islamabad, though, is concerned about the fact that Aziz, as the adviser to Sharif on foreign affairs and effectively Pakistan’s foreign minister, holds a position senior to Doval. Unlike Doval, Aziz holds cabinet minister rank and Pakistan may ask for Doval to be elevated to facilitate the dialogue.