Pakistan envoy to India meets Hurriyet leader Geelani
NEW DELHI: Days after resumption of foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries, Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit on Monday met Hurriyet leader Syed Ali Geelani, the...
March 10, 2015
According to reports, the two discussed political developments in Indian-occupied Kashmir, while Basit formally invited Geelani to attend the ‘Pakistan Day’ parade on March 23.
The Pakistan envoy also appraised Geelani of Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar’s recent visit to Islamabad, which marked the resumption of formal talks that had been halted since September 2012.
The two countries had planned to hold bilateral talks last year, but India abandoned them in August last year after a similar meeting between the Pakistani High Commissioner and Hurriyet leader Shabir Shah.
"[The] Prominent issue is that Jammu and Kashmir issue must be resolved by dialogue between India and Pakistan. Pakistan High Commissioner apprised me of discussions held during Indian Foreign Secretary's visit to Pakistan," Geelani told Indian media.
The Pakistani envoy’s meeting comes a day after recently-elected Chief Minister in Indian-occupied Kashmir Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said that dialogue between Indian and Pakistan is essential to achieve sustainable peace in the Kashmir region.
Sayeed also said that India also needs to include Hurriyet leaders in talks with Pakistan.
Mufti Sayeed was sworn in as chief minister last week after his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) forged a coalition government with the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following elections in IoK two months ago.
