Pakistan raked up Kashmir once again but also reiterated its commitment for peaceful relations with India when the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries met in New Delhi on Tuesday. Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar met his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry where the two discussed all bilateral issues.
The meeting was the first Foreign Secretary-level talks after the terror attack at the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot in January.
While calling Kashmir a "core issue", Pakistan reiterated its commitment for peaceful ties with India. After the meeting the Pakistani side said its Foreign Secretary "emphasised that Kashmir remains the core issue that requires a just solution in accordance with UNSC resolutions and wishes of Kashmiri people".
Ahead of the meeting, the Indian officials had maintained that Pathankot attack and a possible visit by the NIA to Pakistan will be raised during the FS-level talks, which were deferred in January in the wake of the strike at the strategic air base at Pathankot.
India has been pressing for action against terrorists responsible for the audacious attack on the IAF base, to take the talks forward.
This is also the first time the two foreign secretaries are meeting after the announcement of Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue (CBD) by the Foreign Ministers in Islamabad in December 2015. The two secretaries had an informal brief interaction during a SAARC meeting in Nepal in March 2016.
The efforts to resume CBD at the Foreign Secretary-level hit a deadlock after the Pathankot attack that India said was carried out by terrorists from Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group.
Jaishankar was scheduled to travel to Islamabad to hold talks with Chaudhary on January 15 but both the countries had announced deferment of the talks with "mutual consent" in the wake of the Pathankot attack.
The meeting came in the backdrop of Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit's recent comments that the bilateral peace process was suspended, evoking a sharp reaction by Indian side.
India has been maintaining that communication channels were on at various levels but also made it clear it wants to see action on terror and Pathankot first before the dialogue could be resumed.
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