Indo-Pak FS-level talks likely to go ahead

The Indo-Pak foreign secretary-level talks are likely to go ahead as per schedule on February 25 despite the Pune bomb blast, with the incident expected to sharpen focus on the issue of terror that India is poised to raise.

Government sources today said the talks schedule remains unchanged for the moment. However, it is pointed out that the government would discuss the issue of the attack in the context of the upcoming talks when the investigations are completed.

The sources said such incidents are not ruled out in Indo-Pak affairs and these are factored in when any decision is taken. Contending that India-Pakistan relations are 'accident-prone,' the sources suggested that the possibility of terror attacks was considered when the decision was taken about proposing the foreign secretary-level talks.

The sources said India had 'consciously' proposed the talks knowing well the 'complexities' involved in the relationship and that 'any knee-jerk reaction would not be helpful.'

They said tackling terrorism and any related issue that could bring peace would be the central theme of the upcoming talks and India wants to convey its concerns about it directly to the Pakistani establishment.

India, which had refused to hold any dialogue with Pakistan after the 26/11 attacks, offered to hold foreign secretary-level talks only about two weeks back.

Significantly, the date for the talks was finalised a day ahead of the blast at the German bakery in Pune.

"It is premature to talk about the talks now as there is no clarity yet about who is involved. Let the investigators complete the probe, then we can talk about the talks," a source said.

Prior to the Pune attack, high level sources in the government had made it clear that there would be a 'huge setback' if anything like 26/11 is repeated.

The sources underlined that it becomes difficult for the government to carry the public opinion with it for talks if attacks take place.

India has been emphasising that 'any meaningful talks' cannot take place in an 'environment of terror or even threat of terror.'

Preliminary investigations are already indicating involvement of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayiba terror outfit, which had carried out the Mumbai attacks of November 26, 2008.

Indications in this regard were given by Union Home Secretary G K Pillai when he said that LeT operative David Coleman Headley, Pakistani-origin American who was arrested in the US last October, had conducted the survey of the vicinity of German Bakery, target of yesterday's attack.

In the wake of the Pune blast, opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has already started attacking the government for initiating the 'misconceived and adventurist' talks with Pakistan and said that 'terror and talks cannot co-exist.'

For more on the Pune blast, click here!