Pakistan's Foreign Minister writes to Jaishankar

 Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has sent a congratulatory letter to India's new External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and expressed his country's willingness to discuss all important issues between the two nations.

Qureshi wrote three days back to Jaishankar, the former Foreign Secretary who took over as the External Affairs Minister on May 30, sources told IANS.

In the letter, Qureshi congratulated Jaishankar on becoming the Minister and expressed his country's willingness to discuss all important bilateral issues as part of efforts to establish peace.

Though there was no immediate reaction from India on the letter, New Delhi has maintained that it is ready to discuss all issues with Islamabad provided cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan ends.

Jaishankar, a career diplomat, was included by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Cabinet in his second term and given the significant portfolio of External Affairs.

During his tenure as Foreign Secretary from 2015 to 2017, Jaishankar was the key man behind shaping the foreign policy of Modi's first term. IANS