After massive Indian hit back, Pakistan wants to talk

Top military commanders of both India and Pakistan spoke with each other at the request of the latter.

Amidst escalating tensions and beheading of an Indian solider, Pakistan Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz will arrive in Amritsar on December 3 to attend the two-day Heart of Asia (HoA) conference to discuss ways and means to stabilise Afghanistan. “We have received an official confirmation from Pakistan that Aziz would be attending the HoA conference on Afghanistan,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup is reported to have said .

The conference, which will be addressed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, will see participation of more than 40 countries.

Aziz’s visit may help de-escalation of tensions, as he would be the first high-level official travelling to India after the announcement of Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue in December last year which never took off. The resumption of dialogue got stuck in the wake of terror strikes, including the Pathankot airbase attack, and subsequent incidents which led to intense tension between the two countries.