The announcement was made in Pokhara where foreign ministers and foreign secretaries were gathered for the 37th Saarc Council of Ministers Meeting. This was the first high-level meeting between the two sides after the December 25 meeting between the two prime ministers in Lahore.
Swaraj told the media: “Some issues were unresolved between our two countries (India and Pakistan); we have taken a decision on them in a very positive manner.” She added that it was not possible that Pathankot be not discussed in her meeting with Aziz. “The date for the JIT visit has been decided. We talked on Pathankot also and I am happy to say that the dates of the visit of Joint Investigation Team (JIT) have been fixed. They will reach India on the night of March 27 and will begin their work on 28,” Swaraj said.
Both foreign ministers have met at least four times in the past two days in an informal manner at different receptions and on Thursday it was a bilateral meeting. Sources told that during the meeting between Swaraj and Aziz, Pakistan asked whether March 27 works out for India.
“Calls were made to both capitals and the dates were fixed,” a source said. On his part, Aziz complimented the way the Pathankot issue was handled and cooperation extended on both sides. He hoped that this cooperation will pave the way for “good results”.
Aziz also handed over an invitation to Swaraj for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the 19th SAARC summit which will be held in Islamabad later in November this year. It was accepted by New Delhi.
The foreign ministers meeting on Thursday also paved the way for a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart in Washington on March 31, on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit. “I hope both the prime ministers will meet on March 31,” Sartaj Aziz said, adding that he was not sure if there will be a structured dialogue between the two leaders at that time. It is now expected that dates for the foreign secretaries of the two countries in Islamabad will also be finalized as the JIT investigation gets underway. There was insistence from New Delhi that there should be progress on Pathankot before the foreign secretaries met.
The JIT constituted by the Punjab government is now in the process of sending their applications for visas to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. The team will work on the basis of an FIR registered in Gujranwala on February 18 under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997.
The five-member team is led by Additional IG Counter Terrorism Department Punjab Rai Tahir. Other members include Intelligence Bureau’s Additional Director Lahore Azeem Arshad, Lt Col Tanvir Ahmad from the ISI, Lt Col Irfan Mirza from the MI, and CTD Inspector Shahid Tanvir.
India’s Defense Minister had earlier said that it had been decided to provide access to Pakistani investigation team to certain parts of Pathankot airbase during its visit to India in connection with investigation into Pathankot incident.
Earlier, the spokesman at the weekly media briefing responding to a query said the Kashmir dispute was a longstanding item on the UN agenda and some segments in the Indian intelligentsia had vociferously opposed the illegal Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.
“There are numerous UN Security Council resolutions, which declare that the final disposition of the State of Jammu and Kashmir would be made in accordance with the will of the people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations,” he added.
On the issue of terrorism that faces Pakistan, the spokesman said there was a national consensus that terrorism must be fought with absolute resolve and decisively.“Pakistan is the biggest victim of terrorism. Unlike some elements in other states, all institutions and segments of the society remain united in Pakistan’s firm, indiscriminate and unequivocal drive against terrorism. We have reiterated it many times that Pakistan does not distinguish and discriminate between terrorists”, he said.
--Originally published in The News
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