Jaishankar to undertake SAARC yatra; will be in Pakistan on March 3

The yatra which will begin with Bhutan on March 1, will end by March 4 in Afghanistan

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will undertake 'SAARC yatra' from Sunday starting with Bhutan and will travel to Pakistan on March 3, marking the resumption of Indo-Pak talks with India maintaining it stands ready to discuss all outstanding issues including Jammu and Kashmir.

Jaishankar will be in Bhutan on March one, followed by Bangladesh on March 2, Pakistan on March 3 and Afghanistan on March 4, the Spokesperson of External Affairs Ministry said today while giving the itinerary of the first leg of Foreign Secretary's 'SAARC yatra'.

Noting that the visit was in accordance with the Prime Minister's directive, the official spokesperson said, "The schedule for other destinations was being worked out through diplomatic channels."

Jaishankar will travel to Pakistan seven months after India cancelled foreign secretary-level talks because the Pakistan High Commissioner here held consultations with Kashmiri separatists.

"We stand ready to talk with Pakistan in accordance with the Simla Agreement on all issues including Jammu & Kashmir," the MEA Spokesperson had said yesterday.

Jaishankar's visit comes nearly two-and-a-half years after Ranjan Mathai travelled to Islamabad to hold talks.

During the visit, he will also review various initiatives for the region, including SAARC satellites and regional university, as were proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Nepal for SAARC Summit.

Modi had early this month spoken to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif after which it was announced that Jaishankar will visit Islamabad when he will "push bilateral agenda".

Sharif had welcomed the foreign secretary's proposed visit "to discuss all issues of common interest".