India is ready to engage with Pakistan for a “result-oriented dialogue” that seeks to end cross-border terrorism and early vacation of “illegal occupation” by Pakistan of Kashmir territory, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said here on Friday.

Responding to a query about the Indian Foreign Secretary's response to Paksitan's invitation for talks, MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar did respond to Pakistan's invitation but made it clear that “the intended result at the issue is early vacation by Pakistan of its illegal occupation”. 

“I would like to confirm that the Foreign Secretary has indeed responded to his Pakistani counterpart's letter of August 19 regarding Jammu and Kashmir. In his letter dated August 24, the Foreign Secretary has conveyed (to Pakistan) that India seeks a result-oriented dialogue on the subject,” Swarup said.

“As Pakistan is aware, the intended result at issue is early vacation by Pakistan of its illegal occupation,” he added. 

Swarup said Foreign Secretary Jaishankar has reiterated that the basis of further discussions would be the Shimla Agreement of 1972, the Lahore Declaration of 1999 and the Joint statement of 2004.

“The Foreign Secretary has underlined that as far as terrorism is concerned, not just India but the larger region is acutely aware that Pakistan is actually a prime perpetrator. A recent example of Pakistan's policy is the apprehension of Lashkar terrorist Bahadur Ali,” he said.

“The Foreign Secretary has made it explicit that the agenda before India and Pakistan today is to to put an end to cross-border terrorism and incitement to violence from Pakistan,” the MEA spokesman said.