India has reached out to Islamabad earlier this month extending an invitation to foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to visit Goa in May to attend join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers, the Indian Express said in a report.
The report pointed out that the invitation comes days after Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif admitted that Pakistan wants to live in peace with India and has learnt its lesson from three wars.
The Indian Express report said that the tentative dates for the visit are May 4 and May 5. It also said that if Pakistan accepts the invitation it will be the first time in 12 years that a foreign minister from the neighbouring country will visit India after Hina Rabbani Khar, who visited in 2011.
The foreign ministers of China and Russia will also be invited along with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. This also means Qin Gang, China’s new foreign minister, will also visit Goa in May.
However, if Pakistan accepts the invitation and Zardari visits Goa in May, it will be a significant move because relations between both nations are at an all-time low.
A person familiar with the developments told the newspaper that the invitation was sent keeping in line with India’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ and its desire to have normal, friendly relations with India.
The person told the newspaper that India remains consistent in its position that issues between both countries should be resolved in a bilateral setting, peacefully and by not allowing an atmosphere of terror and violence.
However, India made it clear that the onus of creating an environment conducive for free and peaceful discussions. India will never compromise on national security issues and if there are attempts to threaten India’s territorial integrity, firm steps shall be taken.
India, in 2015, extended an invite to Pakistan Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz but after the foreign minister expressed his desire to meet with the Hurriyat, former Union minister of external affair late Sushma Swaraj and the Indian government were forced to call of the visit, as Aziz did not want to cancel the meeting.
The last Indian foreign minister to visit Pakistan was also late Sushma Swaraj who attended the Heart of Asia conference in Islamabad in December 2015.
Bilateral relations nosedived after that following the Pathankot, Uri and Pulwama attacks. Pakistan was enraged following the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K and relations nosedived as cross-border trade, trade agreements and diplomatic ties were severed.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan also took a hard stance but the Bhuttos and the Zardaris shifted their stance, though not visibly. However, it should be noted that earlier in 2022, the foreign minister made obscene remarks regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Indian Express report also highlights that under the current regime the ceasefire along the LoC has held and religious pilgrimages have also proceeded and the meetings related to the Indus Waters Treaty were held and the treaty was observed.
If Pakistan accepts the invitation, there are chances that a window of opportunity to discuss peace and restore bilateral relations.
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