After PMs' meet, India, Pak sing the same tune

The talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, held on the sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit in Thimphu on Thursday, have been successful, but they will not call it that.

According to an official in the Prime Minister's Office, the talks between the two PMs was very substantive.
 
According to Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, both PMs have asked foreign ministers and foreign secretaries of the two countries to set the modalities to find out what's ailing the bilateral relations.
 
This setting of 'modalities' will be construed as opening of the composite dialogue. Rao repeatedly requested the media, "We should not get stuck with nomenclature here."
 
A lot of soul searching took place in the meeting, said Rao, and added that the searchlight is on the future and not on the past.

PTI adds: During their meeting, Dr Singh and Gilani decided that the channels of dialogue between the two countries should be kept open to restore 'trust and confidence' in the bilateral relationship.

This was their first meeting after their dialogue in Sharm-el-Sheik in Egypt on July 16, 2009, following which a major controversy had broken out in India on the contents of the joint statement.

Terrorism and the 'slow progress' of Pakistan's probe into Mumbai terror attacks formed part of the agenda of the discussions, which were held at the Bhutan House in Thimphu on the margins of the South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation Summit. The two leaders first met accompanied by their delegations, which was followed by a one-on-one meeting and then again by delegations.

"The prime ministers held very good talks in a free and frank manner. They agreed that cooperation between the two countries is vital for the people of South Asia to realise their destiny," Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told reporters.

"The prime minister expressed India's concern over the slow progress of Mumbai terror attack trial in Pakistan to Prime Minister Gilani," Rao said.

Dr Singh told Gilani that India was willing to discuss all issues of mutual concern through dialogue but the issue of terrorism is holding back the progress, she said.

The foreign secretary also said that it was decided by the two prime ministers that foreign ministers and foreign secretaries of the two countries should meet as soon as possible to 'restore trust and confidence' in the relations, said Rao.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a news conference that the meeting between the two leaders ended on a positive note and he would be engaging with his Indian counterpart S M Krishna at an appropriate time.

He also welcomed Home Minister P Chidambaram to Islamabad on June 26 for the SAARC home minister's conference.

Qureshi said the meeting has 'changed the climate' between the two countries.

Asked whether the foreign minister-level talks amounted to resumption of the composite dialogue process between the two countries, Rao said she does not want to get into details about the nomenclature of the talks.

To another question, she declined to go into details of the issues that would constitute the talks, saying 'all concerns' would be discussed.

Dr Singh "emphasised to Prime Minister Gilani various issues that cause concern to India -- issues related to terrorism, rise in infiltration and slow progress in the trial of Mumbai terror attack perpetrators".

Dr Singh told Gilani that India is willing to discuss all issues of concern with Pakistan and to resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue "but that the issue of terrorism is holding back progress."

She said the meeting was "an exercise in mutual comprehension because there is lack of mutual trust in the relationship impeding the process of normalisation."

The meeting assessed the reasons for the current state of affairs between the two countries and "to think afresh on the way forward", the foreign secretary said.

"They (prime ministers) agreed that relations between the two countries should be normalised and the channels of contact should work effectively to enlarge the constituency of peace in both countries," Rao said.

"The two prime ministers had agreed earlier that dialogue is the only way forward. They reiterated that commitment. They not only reiterated, but the two prime ministers had agreed to resume the dialogue process between India and Pakistan that remained suspended for so many months. That is a very positive development," Qureshi said.

"It was a very positive meeting. It is a step in the right direction," Qureshi said. He said both the leaders agreed that dialogue is the only way forward.

On the response of Gilani to the concerns raised by Dr Singh, Rao said the "Pakistani prime minister shared his perception on these issues in a candid manner and said Pakistan is serious about prosecuting the perpetrators of Mumbai terror attacks and that all efforts were being made to bring the trial of these individuals to a speedy conclusion."

Rao said Gilani also assured the prime minister that Pakistan will not allow its territory to be used for terrorist activities directed against India.

She said both sides agreed that dialogue is the only way forward and it was essential to open all channels of communication. Rao added that there was a need to restore trust and build mutual confidence.

On the issue of Saeed, Gilani said there are some difficulties as far as Pakistan's judicial system was concerned in tackling such issues.

"We expressed the hope that their laws to deal with such issues could be strengthened in times to come," the foreign secretary said. She said both sides have agreed that the foreign ministers and foreign secretaries will take this process forward. However, she said no modalities have been worked so far.

"Both sides have agreed to meet as soon as possible. We have not fixed any dates so far," she said.

"The instructions of the prime minister is that the foreign minister and foreign secretaries should meet as soon as possible," Rao said, adding that the "focus is charting the course forward. That definitely is the message from today's meeting."

"Our concerns about terrorism remain very much on the agenda," Rao said when asked if India is de-linking terror from dialogue. Qureshi said the foreign ministers and foreign secretaries have been asked "to meet as soon as possible and meet as frequently as possible."

Image: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani at the 16th summit of the SAARC in Thimphu | Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters