The Foreign Secretaries will be holding talks in Thimphu on the sidelines of a Saarc summit in February. — Photo by AFP

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan will meet on the sidelines of an upcoming meeting of foreign ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) member states in Bhutan to explore ways to take forward the stalled peace process between the two countries, the Foreign Office confirmed on Saturday.

Pakistan will decide on accepting India's standing invitation for Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to visit New Delhi after assessing the outcome of the talks between the Foreign Secretaries in Thimphu on the margins of the Saarc meet, which is expected to be held in February, sources said.

Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told media representatives on Friday that Pakistan was willing to engage in talks with India but an agenda should first be chalked out by the Foreign Secretaries of both countries.

Indian External Affairs Minister Krishna on Friday renewed his invitation for Shah Mehmood Qureshi to visit New Delhi. The two Foreign Ministers last met in Islamabad in July 2010 but the talks ended inconclusively.

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