Will discuss terror, all issues: Sartaj Aziz

Pakistan Prime Minister’s adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz on Wednesday said he is willing to discuss all issues, including the Pathankot terror attack, with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj here in Nepal.

Mr Aziz expressed the hope that the Pakistani SIT will be able to visit India soon to carry forward the probe into the attack at the Air Force base in Pathankot in January.

“Don’t worry. The main purpose of the meeting, of course, is to hand over the invitation for the Saarc summit. And then anything she wants to discuss, we will discuss,” he said in the Nepali resort town as he arrived for the 37th Saarc Council of Ministers Meeting. Asked if he was positive of an outcome of his meeting with Ms Swaraj on Thursday, Mr Aziz said, “We will tell you after the meeting. We are always open for positive outcome.”

He said Pakistan has been “responding” to the Pathankot issue.

“We are responding on that and you know it. We are talking on all subjects,” he said, replying to sustained questions on whether Pathankot attack will be discussed.

Asked when can one expect Pakistani SIT in India, he replied, “very soon InshAllah”.

Swaraj and Aziz are scheduled to meet tomorrow on the sidelines of the SAARC meeting during which the External Affairs Minister is expected to nudge Pakistan to take action in the aftermath of the air base attack, which came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to Lahore on December 25 last year.

Incidentally, though Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry did not have any structured meeting till now, they met casually at least thrice.

They first casually met at a dinner hosted for SAARC Foreign Secretaries last night and later even walked together for a few minutes. They met today at breakfast and exchanged a few words before meeting again during the SAARC meet today.

This is the first time Jaishankar and Chaudhry came face to face since planned talks between the foreign secretaries were put off after the terrorist attack on Pathankot airbase.