Sartaj Aziz to attend NSA talks in Delhi

Pakistan's National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz said on Thursday that he will visit India later this month for talks with India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

"I can confirm I will proceed to India on August 23 for the NSA talks," Aziz said while responding to a question at a joint press conference with visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi agreed last month in the Russian city Ufa that the NSAs should meet to "discuss all issues connected to terrorism".

India abruptly suspended high level diplomatic talks with Pakistan in August last year after the Pakistani envoy in New Delhi met Kashmiri separatist leaders.

The talks, known as the "Composite Dialogue", were also stopped by India following the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

"Although the security talks are not the revival of the Composite Dialogue, the meeting would be 'ice-breaking' as we will hold discussions on some important issues," Aziz said.

"Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif believes that dialogue is the only option to peacefully resolve issues," he added.

India had suggested August 23-24 for the NSA talks in line with the meeting of the two prime ministers on July 10.

Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said his government was working on the agenda for the security talks.

The Pakistan-India talks are deemed significant as cross-border firing and shelling along the Jammu and Kashmir border have escalated tensions between the two countries.

Both countries accuse each other of violating the 2003 ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) that divides Jammu and Kashmir between the two countries.