Pakistani minister flies to India for first visit by a senior official in 12 years

Foreign minister quashes hope of reconciliation as he stresses trip to Goa is purely for regional summit

Pakistan’s foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, arrived in Goa on Thursday, the first visit to India by a senior Pakistani official in 12 years.

Yet few held out hope that the trip signalled efforts for reconciliation between the two rival neighbours. Speaking as he boarded the plane to Goa, where India is chairing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) council of foreign ministers on Friday morning, Bhutto Zardari emphasised his presence would be “focused exclusively on SCO” and avoided any mention of India.