Farooq Abdullah ‘sure’ India-Pak will hold bilateral talks during S Jaishankar's visit to Islamabad

The External Affairs Minister will be in Islamabad for a Shanghai Cooperation Organsiation (SCO) conclave on October 15 and 16.

Published on: Oct 5, 2024, 17:56:15 IST

By HT News Desk, New Delhi

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National Conference (NC) boss Farooq Abdullah, who has repeatedly called for talks between India and Pakistan, was optimistic bilateral matters will be discussed during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s upcoming visit to Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

Also Read: S Jaishankar will travel to Islamabad for SCO meet, says MEA

“I hope there will be talks on every issue. Economic issues are important for all of us, the world itself. And I am sure that there will be talks on bilateral matters also,” Abdullah said, according to PTI.

“I hope they will be friendly and they will try to achieve better understanding between the two countries,” the senior politician added.

However, Jaishankar has already made it known he will not discuss India-Pakistan relations during his visit. The ex-foreign secretary will be in Islamabad for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) conclave on October 15-16.

Also Read: S Jaishankar rules out India-Pakistan talks at SCO

Additionally, this will be the first high-level ministerial visit from India to Pakistan in eight years. In August 2016, then Union home minister, Rajnath Singh, attended a SAARC meeting in the neighbouring country.

Meanwhile, Abdullah, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, hoped ‘animosities’ between India and Pakistan would ‘disappear.’

“I hope so. One cannot say what will happen there. But I hope and pray animosities will disappear and there will be a better relationship between the two nations,” he stated.

Recently, Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif said Islamabad’s position on Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir was the same as that taken by the Congress-National Conference alliance that has called for its restoration.

Also Read: Political row over Pakistan minister’s Article 370 remark

Also, India has criticised Pakistan for hosting controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, a fugitive in India.

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