ISLAMABAD: A two-day Track-II dialogue between Pakistan and India commenced on Friday.

The dialogue, titled ‘Beyond Politics and Polemics New Beginning on a Difficult Trail’, was hosted by the Regional Peace Institute. The discussions were the first round of the initiative and the second round would be held in New Delhi in September. Six delegates from India are participating in the dialogue.

“Here we are finally trying to untangle the tricky knot! It is always the scent of possibilities that sustains my hope for the future. Let’s do a toast to a tomorrow of peace and reconciliation,” event host and founder of the Regional Peace Institute Raoof Hasan tweeted.

The theme of the first session was ‘With young leading the charge – discovering new paths for reconciliation & progress’, and the second session was on ‘Moving to overcome challenges – formulating a vision of the future’.

Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood will address the participants of the dialogue on the second day.

The last notable Track-II meeting between Pakistan and India took place in Islamabad on April 28-30, 2018, and was one of the oldest Track-II initiatives between the two countries.

Heightened bilateral tensions and Indian elections this year had halted all previous engagements between the two countries.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2019