Thaw at last in Pak-India ties

THIMPHU (Agencies) Pakistan and India Thursday took a significant step towards resuming their frozen peace dialogue without any preconditions following a meeting between their leaders on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit. During the discussions in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu, which both sides described as positive, the two leaders agreed that their respective foreign ministers would meet soon to draw up a road map for future talks. The officials would work out the modalities of restoring trust and confidence in the relationship and thus paving the way for a substantive dialogue on all issues of mutual concern, Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told reporters. The idea was on renewal of dialogue; to understand the state of affairs, Rao said. There was a lot of soul-searching here. The searchlight is on the future, not on the past. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the decision not to restrict the agenda of future talks was a step in the right direction. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh met for 90 minutes on the sidelines of SAARC summit. India broke off a peace dialogue with Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks November 2008 that left 166 people dead. Since then, it has repeatedly rebuffed Pakistani calls for a resumption, insisting that Islamabad has not done enough to bring the Pakistan-based militants that India blames for the carnage to justice. During the talks with Gilani, Rao said the Indian prime minister was very emphatic that Pakistan has to act, that the terror machine needs to be controlled, needs to be eliminated. The talks in Thimphu offered no timetable for when the two foreign ministers would meet, saying only that it would happen as soon as possible. Foreign Minister Qureshi described the meeting as warm, cordial and engaging. He said all issues including Kashmir, Sir Creek and Siachen were on the table. Qureshi who was very upbeat about the meeting - the second after the two leaders met at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt - said it was very positive and had concluded very positively. We have decided to move forward and have overcome suspension of the process. Qureshi said both sides assured each other that they would not allow the use of their soil against each other. Gilani assured that the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack would be brought to justice. The two leaders pointed out the trust deficit between the two countries and asked their foreign ministers to bridge the gap and build confidence to take the process forward. Qureshi said Gilani had invited Singh to visit Pakistan soon and that the Indian prime minister had accepted. The last Indian premier to make an official visit to Pakistan was Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999. Qureshi said Indian Home Minister would come to the meeting of Saarc Home Ministers in Islamabad on June 26. When asked about any date for the meeting between the two foreign ministers, Qureshi said: We are ready to engage right now, and added that he needed to contact his counterpart to see when he was ready. About the issue of terrorism, Qureshi said it was not confined to India and Pakistan, rather he said the issue is of concern to the region and the world. We need to adopt a common strategy to counter terrorism, Qureshi said. He quoted Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who said that his country had no interest in destabilising Pakistan and meddling into its internal affairs. We assure you we do not want to meddle in your internal affairs, he quoted Singh as saying. Foreign minister said moving forward was the only way to bring peace and stability in the region. He said the summit also recognised that the region was water-stressed and needed a regional approach for water conservation and management. He termed the water dispute between Pakistan and India an important and sensitive issue. The issue will be on the table and there is need to evolve a mechanism to address it. Observers believe the decision to talk in Thimphu was forced in part by the annoyance of other SAARC members who feel that Indo-Pakistan tensions have all too often blocked the organisations efforts to foster regional cooperation. That sense of frustration was voiced on Tuesday by SAARCs smallest member, the Maldives, whose president, Mohammed Nasheed, broke with protocol which traditionally precludes public mention of bilateral disputes. I hope neighbours can find ways to compartmentalise their differences while finding ways to move forward, Nasheed said in his speech at summits opening. I am of course referring to India and Pakistan. I hope this summit will lead to greater dialogue between them, he said.