India has accepted Pakistan's request to send a Special Investigation Team to probe the Pathankot air base attack.
"We look forward to the visit of Pakistan SIT and our investigative agencies will extend all necessary cooperation," said Vikas Swarup, Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs.
Govt of Pak has taken some steps which we have welcomed, he said, adding that Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue with Pakistan was not on hold.
"Both Foreign Secretaries agreed to meet in very near future," Mr. Swarup said without mentioning the date.
India-Pakistan talks likely to be rescheduled
The Foreign Secretary-level dialogue between India and Pakistan may not take place on January 15 as planned earlier, though the Ministry of External Affairs is yet to announce the status of the talks officially.
However, Spokesperson of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said during a Press Briefing that Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar will not travel to Islamabad on Friday as both sides have agreed to reschedule the talks in view of the tense aftermath of the Pathankot terror attacks. Earlier senior diplomats told The Hindu , that both sides have been discussing rescheduling the talks avoiding a cancellation.
Pakistani security forces undertook several law and order initiatives in the last 72 hours against Jaish E Mohammed, which is accused by India of carrying out the terror strike in Pathankot. However the reported detention of Jaish’s chief Maulana Masood Azhar has not elicited a warm response from India.
Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, however, had been hopeful of the talks and had pledged in an interview with Aaj TV recently that he would act against terrorists operating from Pakistan. The meeting between Mr Jaishankar and Mr Chaudhry was planned as a symbolically important step for starting the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue (CBD) between India and Pakistan following the December 9 2015, visit of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to Islamabad.
The Hindu was told that the External Affairs Minister had been advised by several senior diplomats to suspend the talks for now.
