NEW DELHI: Foreign minister S Jaishankar returned to India from UAE on Monday after his bilateral engagements amid speculation in local media about a possible meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Official sources said there was no meeting between the two in Abu Dhabi.
Praising UAE’s reported efforts for peace, the Pakistan foreign minister said in UAE that Islamabad had always backed third party mediation for resolving outstanding issues with India. However, while India has remained silent on the issue, government sources rule out any change in India’s position that there is no role for any third party.
Jaishankar’s visit coincided with the trip of his Pakistani counterpart amid media reports that the UAE has played a role to restart dialogue between the two neighbours.
Qureshi himself said he was there for a bilateral visit and not an “India-specific agenda”. He said “friends”, including the UAE, have always said the two countries should sit and resolve issues through dialogue. “India has always been hesitant of thirdparty mediation; we welcomed it,” he was quoted as saying by a newspaper.
Qureshi said no matter what friends said, the initiative had to be indigenous. “The political will has to be demonstrated by the leadership of India and Pakistan. They can be suggestive and facilitators but, ultimately, it is the people of south Asia who have to decide,” he said.
The visit ame days after the Emirati ambassador to the US Yousef al-Otaiba said the UAE played a role in bringing down the tension between India and Pakistan.