ISLAMABAD: India is willing to send its top diplomat to Pakistan for talks focused on fighting cross-border terrorism, sources at India’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday as reported by Reuters news service.
The statement came after a spike in tension in the disputed northernmost region of Kashmir. Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was willing to attend talks on the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart, the sources said, adding that they should focus on the situation in Kashmir.
The olive branch comes after 40 days of violent protests in Indian-ruled Kashmir that was sparked by the killing of a field commander of Pakistan-based Islamic militant group Hizbul Mujahideen by the Indian security forces. At least 64 people have died and thousands been injured in clashes with security forces that have been denounced by Pakistan, which also claims the right to rule Jammu Kashmir in a territorial dispute that dates back to partition in 1947.
In the latest clash on Wednesday, the militants killed three members of the security forces when they ambushed an army convoy and then fired on a police jeep that came to the scene. The Indian sources made it clear that India ‘rejects in their entirety the self-serving allegations regarding the situation in Jammu Kashmir, which is an integral part of India.’
Jammu Kashmir is the name of the Indian state that includes the disputed Kashmir region. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ratcheted up tensions in his annual Independence Day speech on Monday, accusing Pakistan of glorifying terrorism.
