Pak-India talks on 'Feb 18 or 25'

NEW DELHI (Agencies) Days after India proposed Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan, Indian government sources said on Sunday the talks could take place either on February 18 or 25 in New Delhi. The Indian government is expected to call an all-party meet before holding the talks to take every political spectrum into confidence. While terrorism is going to be the major focus of the talks, humanitarian and consular issues, trade and confidence-building measures will also be discussed, Indian government sources said, adding that India is basically looking at an incremental dialogue with Pakistan and wants to discuss all issues of peace and stability with its neighbour. They further said that while aiming to enhance trust and confidence with Pakistan, New Delhi wants to Islamabad to do more against terror. If sources are to be believed, India is also willing to discuss the controversial issue of Balochistan with Pakistan. A positive assessment by India after the talks between Foreign Secretaries could set the stage for the meeting between their Foreign Ministers and Prime Ministers on the sidelines of the Saarc summit in Thimpu from April 28-29. Inaugurating the Chief Ministers Conference on Internal Security in New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Sigh once again alleged Pakistan of cross-border interference in Occupied Kashmir, while Indian Home Minister Chidambaram slammed Pakistan for its stance on Mumbai attacks. Indian Premier Manmohan said that hostile outfits were operating from the other side of the Line of Control (LOC), and called upon the centre and states to launch concerted efforts to curtail terrorism. Terming internal security as a critical matter, he expressed concern over what he called increased infiltration attempts from Pakistan recently and said these threats shall be overcome at all costs with a coordinated efforts between the Centre and states. Hostile groups and elements operate from across the border to perpetrate terrorist acts in the country. The state of Jammu and Kashmir bears the brunt of the acts of these groups, he alleged. He said while there had been a marked decline in the number of terrorist incidents from 2008 to 2009, infiltration levels have shown an increase in the same period. Recently, there have been some incidents which are disturbing. Speaking on the occasion, Indian Home Minister Chidambaram referred to the meeting of groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen in Muzaffarabad on February 4 and these groups as dark forces which are implacably opposed to the country, asserting that they would be defeated whenever confronted. He said New Delhi was watching the activities of these groups in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir but stressed they wont succeed in their anti-India designs. Their weapons are mayhem and violence; and their goal is forcible annexation of Kashmir. Let me make it clear that these dark forces will not succeed in their designs. We will defeat them whenever and wherever we confront them, Chidambaram said. Chidambaram claimed that infiltration attempts from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir had gone up. He reiterated that Pakistan had been provided with ample evidence regarding the Mumbai attacks.

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