The two-day meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Council of Foreign Ministers is slated to begin in Pokhara in Nepal on Wednesday. Reports have suggested that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is likely to meet Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs.
Over two days, SAARC delegations are slated to first meet at the level of foreign secretaries, following which foreign ministers will finalise the agenda that would be discussed at the Prime Minister-level when the SAARC summit takes place in Islamabad, scheduled later in 2016.
According to sources, NSAs of both India and Pakistan have been in regular touch, which has led to enhanced cooperation.
Meanwhile, a senior Pakistani official, while speaking on the condition of anonymity, had said that Islamabad was ready to resume the dialogue at any time, and was also open to a meeting between Aziz and Swaraj in Nepal.
"There is no proposal as of now for the meeting in Nepal but Pakistan will respond positively if India approaches us for this purpose," the Pakistani official had said.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup last week said that no schedule of bilateral meetings in Nepal have been drawn up with Pakistan or any other country.
The meetings, if held, will provide an opportunity to the two sides to discuss the much-delayed talks between the foreign secretaries, who were to meet in Islamabad in January.
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