Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Noor-Ul-Haq Qadri was seen seated near Saeed as he addressed an All Parties Conference organised by the Difa-e-Pakistan Council on Sunday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Pakistan to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit likely to be held in September 2016.
Following the death of top Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan members, a comparatively weakened Pakistani Taliban are ready to hold peace talks with a government that is increasingly seen at odds with the United States. Amir Mir reports from Islamabad.
Qureshi said the matter will be taken up during Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to the country on September 5.
The visit comes seven months after India cancelled foreign secretary-level talks.
"If I was the foreign minister, I would have had contact with them. I would have gone out of my way and told my intelligence agency to make a contact quietly," former external affairs minister Natwar Singh said.
'No prime minister of India is averse to normalise relations with Pakistan, if it is possible to do so without altering our fundamental position on Jammu and Kashmir,' notes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar also talked about the China-Pakistan economic corridor in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, asserting that India is 'resolutely opposed' to any actions by other countries to change the status quo in the region.
'We did not want India to either default or forfeit this tie'
Four Indian authors, including well-known writer Urvashi Butalia, attended the KLF which was held between February 10-12 in Pakistan.
Maintaining that India's decision to revoke Article 370 of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in August year does not have any external ramifications, Kumar said that the people have marched ahead despite Pakistan's "nefarious attempt" to derail peace and prosperity.
The team set up by Pakistan to probe the Pathankot attack on Friday decided to seek from India the DNA reports and finger prints of the slain terrorists.
'Kashmir is the main issue between the two countries.' 'We have not been able to resolve it bilaterally.' 'As the two major countries in South Asia, we have to go back to the drawing board and start engaging.'
Shehbaz, the younger brother of former three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, received 174 votes -- two more than the simple majority of 172.
It is time to forge a credible New Delhi-Srinagar axis, says Ajai Shukla.
'The MEA, hopefully, made it clear that the Indian PM can't be seen in Xi Jinping's company when China has, for all intents and purposes, annexed over 1,000 sq kms of Indian territory in eastern Ladakh, and essentially that the Wuhan spirit and the Mamallapuram spirit have turned into vinegar.'
Congress asked the government to clear its stand on whether it intended to hold talks with Pakistan.
'The really striking thing is that the Taliban has suo moto presented to us certain firm benchmarks against which it expects us to hold to account the Taliban rulers's actions in the period ahead' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday asserted that terrorists will never be allowed to impede the peace process with India, as both nations recognised the importance of talks.In an effort to take the peace process forward, Foreign Minister S M Krishna will travel to Islamabad and hold talks with Qureshi on July 15.
Pakistan has accused India of sabotaging peace efforts and putting the regional security and stability at stake by objecting to include Kashmir issue in the bilateral dialogue.
The MEA asserted Pakistan's efforts to link peace deal with Kashmir issue have not worked.
In a tweet, Modi said India is 'delighted to welcome' the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
"We call on Pakistan to stop cleansing their own minorities including Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and others," Bhat said.
"Only one of the five permanent members, China, openly favours Pakistan," the Dawn report noted.
Former Research and Analysis Wing chief AS Dulat has claimed that everybody in Kashmir makes money off the unstable situation in the region, alleging that it is 'in their DNA'.
'Washington is telegraphing here is its willingness to support a low-grade, limited use of force meant to send a strong message to Pakistan.' 'Perhaps something along the lines of the surgical strikes in 2016, or perhaps something a bit more -- but not much more.'
The newly-announced cabinet is expected to take oath on Monday at the President's House.
Talking about the BJP's flagship Ram Temple issue, BJP president Nitin Gadkari said the party's main agenda remained unchanged and added that there could be three ways of resolving the issue. One, by negotiation between the two religious groups involved, two by introducing a bill in Parliament and the third option was to wait for the final court verdict, he said. Asked about the re-organisation of the party, he said he had recently taken over as party president.
An Indian tennis team will travel to Pakistan after 55 years. The last time they sparred on Pakistan soil was way back in March 1964 in Lahore, where India won 4-0.
A defiant Pakistan high commissioner on Wednesday justified his meetings with Kashmiri separatists notwithstanding India's protestation, asserting that engagement with all stakeholders have been the "bottomline" of Islamabad's efforts to find a solution to the Kashmir issue.
The Supreme Court overturned the conviction, a landmark verdict on Wednesday that sparked nationwide protests, death threats from hardline groups.
Quoting diplomatic sources, The Express Tribune reported that India and Pakistan were exploring the possibility of a meeting between Swaraj and Aziz and also between the foreign secretaries of the two countries in the Nepalese tourist city of Pokhara.
He, however, praised Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria as a good person, but criticised the Indian government's actions.
Home Minister P Chidambaram exhibited a refreshing firmness during his talks with Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik in Islamabad this week.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday for talks with the Pakistani leadership on bilateral relations and the situation in war-torn Afghanistan.
The 27-page code was approved at the last meeting of the PCB's Board of Governors and aims to cover every individual working with the Board and the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
The US administration made hectic behind-the-scenes efforts to make the Pakistani president's India visit a success because US President Barack Obama wants the ongoing Washington-Taliban peace talks in Doha to be productive, which is impossible without Islamabad's support, reports Amir Mir from Islamabad
'If this were to happen, it won't exactly be a game changer because Pakistan is known for treating arrested terrorists as 'political prisoners', who are generally given VIP treatment,' says Rajeev Sharma.
Today, the two countries, ruthlessly divided by the Radcliffe line that pierced their very heart, grapple with the political challenges of the present. Yet, when friendships develop there are no borders, observes Payal Singh Mohanka.
This will be the annual meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission. Under the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty, both the commissioners are required to meet at least once a year alternately in India and Pakistan.
