ISLAMABAD – Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and India claimed Thursday to have bridged the trust deficit and that the upcoming talks between the leadership of two nuclear-armed neighbours would yield desired results.
“People across the border want peace and friendly relations between two countries, we have to ensure it and we are optimistic to do the same,” said Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and India during a press briefing in the Foreign Office.
Contrary to what both of the foreign Secretaries told the representatives of local and foreign media during their jointly addressed press conference, the analysts say that they are expecting no progress in the days to come.
With Pakistan wanting India to broaden the scope of talks in terms of giving ‘Kashmir issue’ the central position and when the Cross border Terrorism tops India’s agenda including taking action against LeT, one wonders how can Foreign Secretaries claim to have overcome the differences to improve the trust deficit between them, Foreign policy experts and analysts questioned when contacted.
According to the foreign policy experts, doubts had already been cast over the outcome of the ongoing meeting, after the Indian side insisted Pakistan to take action against LeT while Pakistan once again played the Kashmir card.
Inside sources informed TheNation on Thursday that Pakistan also wanted India to reduce the Indian troops from the border.
When questioned, Nirupama made it loud and clear that India was willing to resume the composite dialogue which was meaningful and comprehensive. It is pertinent to mention here that the foreign secretaries of India have met for the second time this year.
Earlier, both Salman Bashir and Nirupama had led their delegations during the secretary-level meetings in New Delhi on 25th February 2010 and which bore no fruit.
However, it is noteworthy here that in the second meeting both Nirupama and Salman admitted that they had been tasked by Prime ministers Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani to find ways to bridge the trust deficit and prepare the ground for a meeting of the foreign ministers on July 15.
According to a press note issued by the Foreign Office, Indian Foreign Secretary, Ms. Nirupama Rao also called on the Foreign Minister and conveyed best wishes of Indian External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan desired friendly and cooperative relations with India. The Government of Pakistan would like to continue to work with the Government of India to resolve all the outstanding issues peacefully and in a just manner, he said.
Agencies add – Pakistan and India Thursday agreed that dialogue was ‘the best way forwardÂ’ and it should not get derailed by theÂ’terrorist elementsÂ’.
“We must deny terrorist elements any opportunity to derail prospects to improve the relationship,” Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said after holding talks with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir in Islamabad. Bashir in response said: “We will not allow terrorists space to act against each other.”.
“We believe that dialogue is the best way forward,” Rao said at a packed joint news conference. She clearly indicated that the talks were the harbinger of closer dialogue between India and Pakistan in the coming months. “During our discussions, we have accepted the modalities for restoring trust and confidence for comprehensive sustained and meaningful dialogue,” added Rao, reported Indian meda.
However, she demurred from stating that this was a resumption of the Comprehensive Dialogue. “You must focus that dialogue is the best option for deepening relationship. It is not an issue of nomenclature,” said Rao.
Her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir described the talks as being marked with ‘great deal of cordiality, sincerity and earnestness’. “I would like to borrow a phrase from Nirupama Rao, that this has been a good essay in mutual comprehension,” Bashir said.
Bashir said both the countries were discussing ways to cooperate in counter-terrorism, which would be discussed in detail at the meeting of Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram and his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik Saturday.
Indian and Pakistani diplomats also pledged to strive for sustained dialogue to get their fragile relations back on track and deny militants space to derail reconciliation efforts.
Both secretaries also held talks to craft the agenda for a meeting of their ministers on July 15. Both sides said the talks were marked by “a great deal of cordiality, sincerity and earnestness,” that will pave the way for a more comprehensive dialogue, signalling a possible – and unexpected – thaw.
“Pakistan and India should work towards restoring confidence and building trust with a view to making it possible to have a comprehensive, sustained and meaningful dialogue,” Bashir said.
“After this engagement, I feel much more optimistic about a good outcome at the ministerial level and good prospects for the two countries in terms of our relationship.”
He said it was agreed that the two countries would work towards restoring confidence and trust with a view to making it possible to have comprehensive, sustained and substantive dialogue.
He said the two sides also agreed to move forward from “rhetoric” to effectively cooperate to address the issue of terrorism that was impacting them and the region.
Both the foreign secretaries said the talks had been helpful in understanding each otherÂ’s position and covered a range of issues to prepare for the meeting of the foreign ministers.