Pakistan envoy Sohail Mahmood meets Sushma Swaraj, discuss Kulbhushan Jadhav, cross-border terror

Pakistan’s new high commissioner Sohail Mahmood met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi on Saturday, ANI reported.

“Broad contours of bilateral relations were deliberated upon during the interaction. However, no specific case came under discussion,” ANI quoted Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying. Mahmood is also expected to meet NSA Ajit Doval in the coming days, The Times of India reported.

According to media reports, this is the first major diplomatic engagement between India and Pakistan after Mahmood was appointed Islamabad’s envoy to India in May 2017, succeeding Abdul Basit.

According to The Times of India, Swaraj raised concerns over cross-border terrorism as well as asked the high commissioner to bring the perpetrators of Mumbai terror attacks to justice.

Indian businessman Kulbhushan Jadhav’s imprisonment in Pakistan was also raised by Swaraj, reported Geo TV .

According to the report, Swaraj asked Pakistan to drop all charges against the Jadhav and repatriate him to India.

Notwithstanding strain in ties between India and Pakistan over a host of issues, including cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, Swaraj has been taking a sympathetic approach in granting medical visas to Pakistani nationals.

With inputs from PTI