A planned meeting between the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers next month in New Delhi has been postponed due to clash of dates with India’s presidential election. The external affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin stressed that the rescheduling was not a sign of any new tensions between the two neighbours.
External affairs Minister S.M. Krishna had been scheduled to travel to Islamabad on July 18th to hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar. Akbaruddin said India’s presidential election on July 19th had forced the change of dates.
Akbaruddin said the meeting will be rescheduled, pointing out that Krishna was a member of the presidential electoral college which comprises MPs from both houses of parliament and state legislatures. Last year the two countries resumed their tentative peace process, which collapsed after gunmen allegedly from Pakistan killed 166 people in Mumbai in November 2008.
The two foreign ministers last met in New Delhi in July, 2011.
With the monsoon session of India’s parliament due to open on July 22nd, Akbaruddin said the postponed Krishna-Khar talks would most likely be held in August at the earliest.He also acknowledged that political events in Pakistan, where the judiciary ousted the prime minister a week ago, would have to be taken into consideration.
Mr. Akabaruddin also announced that the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan will meet in New Delhi on 4th and 5th of next month to discuss peace and security including Confidence Building Measurs CBMs, Jammu and Kashmir and promotion of friendly exchanges.
He informed that External Affairs Minister visiting Dushanbe the Capital of Tajikistan on a bilateral visit on 2nd and 3rd of next month. During the visit the External Affairs Minister is expected to hold comprehensive discussions with his Tajik counterpart and the Tajikistan leadership on India-Tajik bilateral relations and on the situation in the region Mr Krishna will also address a Regional Conference of Indian Ambassadors in the Eurasian Region.
This will be the Sixth Regional Meeting of Heads of Mission that the External Affairs Minister is addressing.
