"We call on India to renounce violence and to engage in a dialogue to resolve the problems," Aziz said, as quoted by the Nation newspaper, and responded in the affirmative to the question on Pakistan’s participation in the conference.
India's relations with Pakistan have long been stained over a land struggle. The Jammu and Kashmir region has been disputed by India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947. Following several armed conflicts, the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in 2003. Since then, both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce. The recent escalation is connected with the killing of Burhan Wani, the leader of a Kashmiri separatist group, outlawed in India, by Indian security forces in July.
The Heart of Asia annual conference is held within the framework of the so-called Istanbul Process, which was launched in 2011 as a result of international conference on the Afghanistan’s issue.
The Heart of Asia conference is aimed at bringing together the regional states to discuss the regional issues, particularly encouraging security, political, and economic cooperation among Afghanistan and its neighbors.
