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Thimphu, April 29: After a suspense-breaking dialogue here between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistan counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani that lasted over an hour on Thursday, it has been decided that the foreign ministers and the foreign secretaries of the two countries would lay
the groundwork “as early as possible” in an effort to “normalise” relations, and to “work effectively to enlarge the constituency of peace in both countries”.
Meeting for a substantive conversation with Mr Gilani for the first time since the Sharm el-Sheikh talks last July which raised a controversy in India, Dr Singh made it plain that there was a “lack of mutual trust” in the relationship between the two countries.
Asked repeatedly if the Singh-Gilani engagement in the Bhutanese capital did not amount to a resumption of the comprehensive dialogue process that Pakistan has insistently demanded, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, who briefed the media on the barrier-breaking talks held on the sidelines of the 16th Saarc summit that ended on Thursday, said she would not be drawn into categorising the discussion between the two Prime Ministers. “We are not getting stuck on nomenclature. The process is aimed at building more trust,” she said.
Responding to a question, the foreign secretary said the Pakistan Prime Minister did not raise the allegation of India assisting anti-Pakistan terrorists in Balochistan. In his press briefing on Thursday’s talks, Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi confirmed this. The mention of this theme in the joint statement issued at Sharm el-Sheikh had raised hackles in India.
Answering a related question, Ms Rao noted that the Pakistani leader did not say that the Sharm el-Sheikh model was the way forward. A day earlier the Pakistan foreign office spokesman had said the issue of terrorism should not be mixed up with the question of India-Pakistan dialogue. He had also observed that Sharm el-Sheikh was the right basis on which to move forward.
In her opening remarks, the foreign secretary said the foreign ministers and foreign secretaries of the two countries will be charged with “working out modalities of trust and confidence and paving the way for moving forward on all issues of mutual concern”.
She said India was willing to discuss all issues with Pakistan but terrorism was holding back progress.
Dr Singh told Mr Gilani that terrorism aimed at India from Pakistani soil, the rise of infiltration in Kashmir, and the slow progress in Pakistan on the trial of those who planned and executed the 26/11 Mumbai attacks had been a stumbling block in moving ties forward.
The Pakistan Prime Minister, according to Ms Rao, gave a commitment that Pakistan would not permit its soil to be used for terrorist assaults against India. He also assured Dr Singh that his country was “serious” about bringing the Mumbai-related trials to a speedy conclusion.
Asked what had changed since 2004 when Pakistan first made a commitment not to let its soil be used for terrorist acts against India, the foreign secretary said: “There is a confluence of thought here. Both countries agree that dialogue is the only way forward.”
Answering a question, Ms Rao said the Prime Minister had conveyed India’s concerns on Lashkar-e-Tayyaba founder Hafiz Saeed being allowed to roam freely in Pakistan and make aggressive anti-India speeches.
“I believe Mr Gilani understands the state of affairs, and our concern that the terror machine that operates out of Pakistan has to be closed,” Ms Rao said in reply to another question. In response to a query, she said the Pakistan Prime Minister did not raise the issue of sending Ajmal Kasab, the lone 26/11 attack terrorist taken alive, back to Pakistan. This demand had recently been made by Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik.
The “message of the meeting” is that the focus should be on the future, not the past, the foreign secretary stated. She said while history could not be forgotten, it had to be learnt from. “There is a lot of soul-searching here,” she observed, saying this was “good for our two countries and our region”.
Anand K. Sahay
