Dates undecided, but Foreign Secretary will take up Pathankot

India will take up with Pakistan the issue of the balloon that had drifted in on Tuesday from that country over Rajasthan, even as the two countries are still yet to agree on dates for foreign secretary-level talks.

But India made two things clear on Thursday — that foreign secretary S. Jaishankar will prominently raise the Pathankot issue with Pakistan despite the two sides having earlier agreed that the specifics on terror would be handled by the two NSAs, and that the Mumbai terror attack trial is a test of Pakistan’s sincerity on combating terror.

“No dates for the FS-level talks have been finalised mutually as yet ... As of now, we don’t have a mutually convenient date,” the MEA spokesperson said on Thursday. He clarified that this did not mean that there was any hurdle in the way of the talks and that he continues to stand by the MEA’s earlier-articulated stand that the talks would take place very soon. However, sources said India continues to expect substantial action by Pakistan on evidence presented by India regarding the Pathankot attack if the pace of process of talks is to be brisk.