Krishna due tomorrow

NEW DELHI (Agencies) Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna will fly to Islamabad on Wednesday (tomorrow) on a three-day visit to Pakistan to work out the modalities of restoring trust and confidence in the relationship, thus paving the way for resuming substantive dialogue on issues of mutual concern, reports The Hindu. In a brief statement announcing the three-day visit to Pakistan, the Indian External Affairs Ministry on Monday said it is being undertaken in pursuance of the mandate given by the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan, during their meeting at Thimphu in April, 2010, to the Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries of both the countries to work out the modalities of restoring trust and confidence in the relationship, thus paving the way for a substantive dialogue on issues of mutual concern. Krishna will visit Pakistan from July 14-16, 2010 for bilateral discussions at the invitation of Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Foreign Minister of Pakistan, it said. However, both the leaders have already talked about the issues to be raised during the parleys, with Krishna making it clear that he will talk about terrorism allegedly emanating from Pakistani soil and Qureshi saying that he will take up the Kashmir issue and human rights violations by the Indian forces there. In the first visit by an Indian external affairs minister to Pakistan since 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Krishna is expected to explore ways and means to reduce the trust deficit between the two countries that has grown. Krishna will hold wide-ranging talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi. All issues will be on the table, including Jammu and Kashmir, official sources added. The two ministers are expected to lay out a roadmap for limited interaction between the two countries that is likely to include meetings between officials and diplomats on issues relating to terrorism, trade, trans-Kashmir people-to-people contacts and the release of prisoners in each others jails. Exhorting Pakistan to move beyond the nomenclature, India has made it clear that the forthcoming talks should not be construed as the resumption of composite dialogue, a point reiterated by Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao after her talks with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir on June 24. Indias approach to these talks is 'incremental and will wait to see 'concrete action from Pakistan and the 26/11 trial before enlarging the scope of dialogue, sources said.

ePaper - Nawaiwaqt