New Delhi, Feb. 5: India’s foreign secretary Nirupama Rao met Pakistan’s high commissioner to India Shahid Malik at her South Block office here on Friday evening to discuss the possible dates and the likely agenda of the foreign secretary-level dialogue proposed by India.
External affairs ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said the discussions between Ms Rao and Mr Malik were "positive and constructive", and said the two sides discussed relevant details pertaining to the talks. The Indian side was now waiting for an indication of mutually convenient dates from Pakistan.
Exploring dates together is the first clear indication from the Pakistani side that it is seriously looking at the proposed dialogue. Mr Malik’s meeting with Ms Rao is the first practical step taken by Islamabad to try and work out details.
Ms Nirupama Rao had invited her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir to New Delhi for talks.
Talking to journalists after his 45-minute-long conversation with the Indian foreign secretary, which he described as "useful and good", Mr Malik said two or three dates had been discussed for the talks. He also said Pakistan was not averse to discussing the issue of terrorism. This might be an indication that whenever the talks are held, the Pakistan side would bring up what it has been saying persistently for some time about India instigating Baloch nationalist rebels and also some of the Taliban to attack Islamabad.
Replying to questions, Mr Malik said all possible issues of concern to both India and Pakistan would be discussed in general. He welcomed Indian media reports claiming that New Delhi would go in for the talks with an open mind. He said Pakistan had been raising the Kashmir issue with India at every possible opportunity and forum, and it would continue to do so.
"Terrorism would certainly be one of areas of discussion because we have issues relating to terrorism that we would also like to talk about. This is something which affects Pakistan, and therefore, if India raises terrorism, then we will not shy away from that. We also have issues to talk about in that context," he said.
When asked if there would be resumption of the composite dialogue, stalled after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, he refused to give a specific answer, but said: "We have agreed in the past that dialogue is the only way forward."
Until Thursday, the Pakistan foreign office in Islamabad was stressing that nothing less than a "composite dialogue" was acceptable to it.
For its part, India has suggested that the foreign secretary-level talks would essentially focus on terrorism, but any other issue that can promote peace and security will be open for discussion.
Age Correspondent