Indo-Pak Joint Secretary Level Talks Commence
The foreign secretary level talks between India and Pakistan have begun in New Delhi, the first formal engagement since Mumbai terror attacks, reported IANS.
Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao welcomed her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir at Hyderabad House at the two top officials accompanied with their delegation sat down for talks to break deadlock in bilateral ties, said report.
“We look forward to our talks,” Rao was quoted as saying while talking to reporters outside Hyderabad House.
“Hyderabad House is a familiar venue. We look forward to a very, good constructive arrangement,” a smiling Bashir was quoted as saying before going inside for the talks.
The Indian team, in addition to Rao, includes India’s High Commissioner to Islamabad Sharat Sabharwal, Joint Secretary in charge of Pakistan YK Sinha, Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Vishnu Prakash and other officials of the MEA, report said.
While in Paksitani delegation are Afrasiab, director-general of the South Asia division and a former deputy high commissioner to India, Pakistan’s High Commissioner Shahid Malik, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit and other senior officials.
Report said that delegation-level talks are likely to last for at least two hours.
Rao will host a lunch for the Pakistani delegation.
It may be mentioned that the two sides have made it clear that although they have their differing core concerns, they are going into these crucial talks with ‘an open mind’.
For India, the core concern is terrorism and the alleged use of Pakistani territory by anti-India terror outfits, but it is willing to discuss other issues. Pakistan has made it clear that it will focus on the Kashmir dispute and other issues like sharing of river waters.
The Pakistani delegation will also call on National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, a former foreign secretary and a former Indian envoy to Islamabad, on Thursday evening.
On Friday morning, the Pakistanis will call on External Affairs Minister SM Krishna before heading back to Islamabad.
The outcome of the talks is expected to determine the future trajectory of engagement between the two neighbours.
