Sartaj Aziz meets ISI chief ahead of NSA-level talks

Islamabad : Pakistan Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has reportedly met the country’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant-General Rizwan Akhtar  ahead of the NSA-level talks between the two countries scheduled to be held on August 24, according to reports. On Thursday, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah said that Aziz would meet Hurriyat leaders in New Delhi and that consultations with Hurriyat leaders were a routine matter. He also said that India and Pakistan are in the process of finalizing the agenda for the NSA-level talks in New Delhi on August 23. Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, had extended an invitation to the Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and other Hurriyat leaders for Pakistan NSA Sartaj Aziz’s reception party to be held on August 23. Last year, India had cancelled the Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan after Basit met Kashmiri separatists ahead of the planned meet.