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India proposes foreign secretary-level talks, Pakistan welcomes

New Delhi/Islamabad: In a sign of thaw in bilateral ties, India has sent a formal proposal to Pakistan for talks between their foreign secretaries and pledged to pursue the discussions with "an open and positive mind". Pakistan was quick to welcome the move, but added that it would not accept anything short of the full resumption of the composite dialogue that New Delhi froze in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes. Islamabad also emphasized that the talks should be "result-oriented" and cover all outstanding issues, including Kashmir and sharing of the river waters. New Delhi has, however, made it clear that the talks will focus primarily on counter-terrorism, but indicated "that other issues that will contribute to creating an atmosphere of peace and stability between the two countries will also be raised," well-placed sources said Thursday. "Dates are being discussed for the meeting between the foreign secretaries," the sources said, adding that it could happen later this month. The response from Islamabad is awaited. The modalities for the meeting are being worked out. This will be the first meeting between Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir since they met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September last year. But their meeting in New York in September last year, followed by talks between the foreign ministers, did not lead to any breakthrough. The Indian side has stressed that it will hold "discussions with an open and positive mind," and will not like to prejudge their outcome. All relevant issues will be discussed, including counter-terrorism, the sources added. It is not yet clear whether the foreign secretary-level talks will happen before or after Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s expected visit to Islamabad to attend the Feb 26-28 meeting of home/interior ministers of the eight-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). This will be the first visit by an Indian minister to Pakistan since 26/11 attacks that suspended the bilateral dialogue and brought ties to an all-time low. A positive assessment by India after the talks between foreign secretaries could set the stage for the meeting between the foreign ministers and prime ministers of the two countries on the sidelines of the SAARC summit in Thimphu April 28-29. Chidambaram’s expected visit to Islamabad, along with the meeting between the foreign secretaries, are seen in Pakistan as clear signals by India to resume the composite dialogue. India has, however, struck a cautious note and indicated that the resumption of dialogue will depend on Pakistan’s concrete actions against the masterminds and perpetrators of the 26/11 carnage. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna Wednesday had indicated India’s willingness to resume dialogue with Pakistan, saying even a few steps by Islamabad in the Mumbai terror probe will "satisfy" it and will make it easier "to carry on normal business" with the neighbouring country. The two sides had decided on limited foreign secretary-level interaction after talks in Sharm el-Sheikh last July to assess actions taken by Pakistan to punish terrorists linked to the Mumbai carnage and in addressing India’s concerns on cross-border terror. The decision by India to reach out to Pakistan for foreign-secretary level talks comes against the backdrop of mounting international pressure to resume dialogue with Pakistan. India decided to rethink its stance on re-engaging Pakistan after reports of Pakistan’s recent actions in the Mumbai terror probe. Pakistan recently indicated its willingness to accept Indian dossiers, including the confessional statement of Ajmal Kasab, the lone Pakistani terrorist caught alive during the 26/11 attack, as evidence to prosecute the planners of the carnage. Islamabad also accepted evidence relating to boats used to ferry the attackers from Karachi. Pakistan reacted positively to the forthcoming foreign-secretary level talks, but insisted that the talks should be ’result-oriented’ and cover all outstanding issues, including Kashmir and sharing of river waters. "Pakistan will welcome the resumption of the composite dialogue because we are for a meaningful engagement with India", Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told a weekly news briefing in Islamabad. "From our perspective, talks should be all-encompassing and result-oriented. We will, therefore, welcome the resumption of the composite dialogue", he said. Basit told media that the agenda of the proposed talks is so far not clear. "We have sought clarification from the Indian government about the agenda and substance of the proposed talks. We will respond to the proposal after we receive the reply from New Delhi," he said.

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