Deputy Pakistani, Indian FM to Meet in New Delhi on Tuesday

According to the Pakistani foreign ministry`s official statement, Indian deputy foreign minister will meet with his Pakistani counterpart on the sidelines of the Asia regional conference.

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — Indian and Pakistani deputy foreign ministers will hold talks on Tuesday in New Delhi on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia regional conference, the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement Monday.

The bilateral talks of senior diplomats, initially planned for mid-January, were derailed following the January 2 Pathankot airbase terror attack in India. New Delhi suspected that Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militant group was behind the attack.

"The Senior Officials Meeting of the Heart of Asia — Istanbul Process will be held in New Delhi on 26 April 2016. Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry will lead Pakistan delegation to this meeting," the statement read.

According to the statement, Pakistan looks forward to participating in the meeting and reaffirms its commitment to efforts for promoting long term peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The Heart of Asia regional conference, which India volunteered to host in 2016, is a 14-member platform to discuss regional issues, particularly encouraging security, political, and economic cooperation among Afghanistan and its neighbors.

Pakistan hosted the fifth Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference in Islamabad in December, when the Islamabad Declaration was adopted aimed at entitled cooperation for countering security threats and promoting regional cooperation.