Will talk on terror, not Kashmir: India to Pak

​New Delhi: Amid escalating bilateral tension over the unrest in Kashmir Valley, India on Wednesday said that Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will go to Islamabad for talks with his Pakistani counterpart, but will focus on "aspects" related to cross-border terrorism.

According to sources, while accepting the invite by Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry, India has conveyed that it "rejects the self-serving allegations (of Pakistan) over Jammu and Kashmir in totality" and asserted that the northern state is an integral part of India "where Pakistan has no locus standi".

"Since aspects related to cross-border terrorism are central to the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir, we have proposed that discussions between the Foreign Secretaries be focussed on them," the sources said.

On Monday, Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Gautam Bambawale was handed over an invitation addressed to Jaishankar to visit Pakistan "for talks on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute that has been the main bone of contention between India and Pakistan".

Jaishankar's acceptance of the invite comes as Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday commented that going to Pakistan was akin to "going to hell". The Foreign Secretary's would be the second high-ranking visit after that of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh who was in Islamabad early this month for a Saarc meet.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's scheduled visit to the neighbouring country to attend a two-day Saarc Finance Ministers meet later this month is still under a cloud. The conference is on August 25-26 in Islamabad. Rajnath Singh's visit was clouded in controversy after he landed amid anti-India protests by several groups.