Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh to visit Pakistan next week

NEW DELHI - India's Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit to Pakistan next week to attend a meeting of home ministers from countries belonging to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in Islamabad, but will not hold a one-on-one with his Pakistani counterpart.

“There is no such proposal (for a bilateral meeting),” external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said in New Delhi.

“We want a peaceful, cooperative relation with Pakistan. We are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues with Pakistan but in an atmosphere free of terror and violence,” he said, without specifying which issues would be raised in the August 4 meeting.

The SAARC group includes India, Pakistan, Nepal, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.