Indo-Pak talks might not have materialised in New York, but External Affairs Minister SM Krishna has invited his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi to visit India to witness the Commonwealth Games. Meanwhile, Qureshi said he was willing to meet Krishna "anywhere, anythime".
"Foreign Minister Qureshi is most welcome to come to witness some of the games, it gives us a chance to continue the dialogue," Krishna told NDTV.
The meeting, however, did not take place, apparently because India was put off by Qureshi raising the Kashmir issue at several forums there, including the United Nations. Krishna, finally, told journalists on Tuesday that a bilateral with Qureshi is not on the cards.
Qureshi, on his part, hinted that it appeared India had changed its mind on the meeting after initially showing interest. Despite talks in New York not working out, both ministers have also expressed optimism about Qureshi's visit to New Delhi for another round of bilateral talks, which will pick up the threads from Krishna's last visit to Islamabad.
The dates for the next round of talks have not yet been decided. "I have said in my speech that I have invited Foreign Minister Qureshi to come to India and he has very graciously accepted my invitation," Krishna said. "I am looking forward to his visit to India so that we can take up from where he left in Islamabad," Krishna said earlier.
{{/usCountry}}The dates for the next round of talks have not yet been decided. "I have said in my speech that I have invited Foreign Minister Qureshi to come to India and he has very graciously accepted my invitation," Krishna said. "I am looking forward to his visit to India so that we can take up from where he left in Islamabad," Krishna said earlier.
{{/usCountry}}Qureshi also said that he was willing to meet "anywhere, anythime".
"I have said that I was willing to meet them anywhere, anytime," he told journalists last evening before leaving for
Washington, but did not explicitly blame New Delhi.
"I have told them that I am willing to come wherever they want me to come," he said, asking the questioning
journalists to find out the reason.
Qureshi further said that he had even invited External Affairs Minister SM Krishna to tea at the Roosevelt hotel
where he was staying.