India home minister to visit Pakistan for SAARC summit

NEW DELHI: Home Minister Rajnath Singh will travel to Pakistan next week for a one-day regional meeting, Indian Ministry of External Affairs said Thursday, and not for bilateral talks.

Rajnath Singh will attend a meeting of home ministers from countries belonging to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in Islamabad but will not hold a one-on-one meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, the Indian foreign ministry said.

It comes days after India lashed out at Pakistan, accusing its neighbour of fanning violent protests in Indian-administered Kashmir that have claimed more than 50 lives this month.

"There is no such proposal (for a bilateral meeting)," foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said in New Delhi.

"We want a peaceful, cooperative relation with Pakistan. We are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues with Pakistan but in an atmosphere free of terror and violence," he said, without specifying which issues would be raised in the August 4 meeting.

The SAARC group includes India, Pakistan, Nepal, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.