By IANS,
New Delhi : Indicating that it was premature to talk about resuming the composite dialogue at the present moment, India has made it clear to Pakistan that the proposed foreign secretary-level talks later this month are part of “a step-by-step incremental approach” and that Islamabad should “do more” to address New Delhi’s concerns over cross-border terror.
India has proposed two possible dates – either Feb 18 or Feb 25 – for talks between the foreign secretaries and has indicated that it is ready to discuss all bilateral issues of concern.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner Shahid Malik has flown to Islamabad to discuss the proposed dates with the Pakistani foreign office after holding discussions with Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao here Friday. The Pakistani side is expected to soon revert to Indian officials, sources said.
Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir will travel to New Delhi later this month for wide-ranging talks with Rao that could include issues of concern to both countries.
The decision to start foreign secretary-level talks signal a thaw in bilateral ties and is a reflection of India’s desire to keep “channels of communication open” to engage its neighbor on issues of concern to it like the recent spike in infiltration and cross-LoC firing. “It’s better to talk to each other rather than talking at each other and firing salvoes,” the sources said.
India paused the composite dialogue with Pakistan after the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks that was allegedly masterminded and executed by Pakistani militants.
During the foreign secretary-level talks, India will focus on its core concern of cross-border terror and the continuing presence of the anti-India terror infrastructure on Pakistani soil, the sources said.
New Delhi will also like the talks to dwell on trade, consular and humanitarian issues and other confidence building measures that can contribute to an atmosphere of trust between the two countries. If Pakistan raises Kashmir and other issues including the issue of river waters, India is ready to listen to Islamabad’s point of view, the sources said.
The change in India’s stand, which had earlier linked dialogue to concrete action by Pakistan against 26/11 accused, occurred due to some steps taken by Pakistan like the decision to start the trial of the attack accused.
However, India has indicated that while Pakistan has taken some steps in the 26/11 probe, it needs to do more before a conducive atmosphere is created for a full-scale dialogue between the two countries.
India has made it clear that Pakistan must bring the trial to its conclusion expeditiously and unveil the larger conspiracy behind the Mumbai attacks. It also wants Pakistan to take action against anti-India ideologues like Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, the suspected mastermind of the Mumbai carnage.
“We need to talk to Pakistan about our core concern on terror and to keep channels of communication if we have to deal with a neighbor. We haven’t jettisoned that approach,” the sources said.
“Terrorism directed from Pakistan continues to be our core concern. Ours is a complex relationship. There is a need to address these issues,” the sources added.
The call by Rao to Bashir towards January-end, inviting him for talks in New Delhi, was not the first such effort but was driven by a realisation that although there are “difficult issues in this complex relationship” it is better to keep channels of communication open.
Rao had been in touch with Bashir over the phone for the last few months to prepare the ground for the foreign secretary-level talks. India has also made it clear that if there was another 26/11 attack directed from across the border, it would be “a huge setback” and will adversely affect the dialogue process.
Pakistan has, however, been insisting on the resumption of the composite dialogue. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told TV channels that Islamabad would like an early resumption of the dialogue. “We would like to restart from where we left off,” he said, referring to the freezing of the composite dialogue process.