India has agreed to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s proposal for a meeting between Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi later this month in New York but has cautioned that it should not be interpreted as resumption of dialogue.

“I can confirm that on the request of the Pakistani side, a meeting between the External Affairs Minister and Pakistani Foreign Minister will take place on the sidelines of UN General Assembly at a mutually convenient date and time,” MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a press briefing on Thursday.

One must distinguish between a meeting and a dialogue, Kumar said, adding that the proposed interaction in New York should not be confused with resumption of dialogue. “This is a meeting which we have agreed to based on the request we got from Pakistani side. This does not indicate any change in the policy as far as our stand on terrorism and cross border terrorism is concerned,” he said.

The agenda for the meeting, too, had not been decided yet. A decision on only one issue has been taken by India and it pertains to asking Pakistan to allow visa-free visit to the Kartarpur Saheb shrine which has been a long-standing demand, Kumar said.

The meeting is likely to take place on September 27, just before or after the SAARC foreign ministers meeting scheduled on the sidelines of the UNGA meet.

The last meeting between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan took place in December 2015.

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