Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan, India to meet on Jan 14 and 15, Sartaj Aziz tells Senate

ISLAMABAD, December 29: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said that as per decision of the two Prime Ministers, Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and India would meet on 14th or 15th of next month to prepare a schedule for comprehensive dialogue.
He was making a statement in the Senate regarding short visit of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Pakistan on 25th of this month.
The Adviser said the Foreign Secretaries would draw up a map for the next six months for talks on ten identified subjects.He said the dialogue process is challenging as it involves difficult decision and important issues.
Sartaj Aziz said the Prime Ministers of two countries have met five times and the warmth of relations created by Lahore meeting would hopefully have an impact on the formal dialogue.
The Adviser, however, cautioned against unrealistic expectations from the dialogue process and said there would be progress on some issues soon while it will take time for progress on others.
Sartaj Aziz said the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was necessarily a goodwill visit and it has been welcomed by majority of people in Pakistan and India as well as the international community.The Adviser dispelled the impression that the entourage of the Indian Prime Minister visited Lahore without any visa.
Responding to a point raised by leader of the opposition Aitzaz Ahsan, the Adviser said no secret meeting was held between the Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India at Kathmandu.