New York:
Pakistan is contemplating appointment of veteran diplomat and former foreign secretary Riaz Mohd Khan as its special envoy on Indian affairs, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in New York on Saturday.
"Yes, we are considering very senior former diplomat, former foreign secretary - a gentleman called Riaz Mohd Khan," Qureshi told a television channel, referring to reports that Pakistan was to name a special envoy for informal talks with India.
Khan held the post of Foreign Secretary from 2005 to 2008 and retired from it citing personal reasons.
Qureshi's remarks came on the eve of his crucial talks with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on the margins of the UN General Assembly session here, during which the slow progress made by Islamabad in probing the Mumbai attacks is expected to be the focal point.
India has suspended the composite dialogue with Pakistan since the Mumbai attacks in November last year and linked its resumption to Islamabad taking action against the perpetrators of the 26/11 strikes.
"We, as a government, want good neighbourly relations with India. (But) that does not mean we don't have issues with them. We do have outstanding issues and we want them resolved," Qureshi said.