Terrorism top priority, not Kashmir: Blake

WASHINGTON: A top US official said he felt the Kashmir issue would not be part of the agenda during talks between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan next month. He said the meeting will focus mainly on action against terrorism and the progress Islamabad has made in the Mumbai attacks probe.

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, said in an interview with the BBC: “I don’t think Kashmir is really the question that’s on the table now.”

He said the real question now is how to make some progress on the trial of the Mumbai attack suspects who are already in Pakistan’s custody. He said Pakistan’s progress in halting the actions of Lashkar-e-Taiba and other Punjab based groups was also key.  “I think those are really the terms that they’ve established for really establishing or reestablishing their composite dialogue. And so those are areas where I think we can help and encourage our Pakistani friends to move forward, and indeed we have,” Blake said.

Mr Blake said the US was always interested in seeing if relations between two important partners, India and Pakistan, could be enhanced.

“But we have always said that it is really up to India and Pakistan themselves to resolve this, and that the pace, scope and character of their dialogue is really completely up to them,” he added. India’s External Affairs Minister SM Krishna is set to visit Islamabad on July 15 to hold talks with his counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The two leaders are supposed to discuss terrorism and bilateral issues, including Kashmir.

Prior to Krishna’s visit, Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram, will be in Islamabad in June to attend the Saarc Home Ministers meeting, and is expected to hold talks with his counterpart Rehman Malik. Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao will accompany Chidambaram during his visit.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2010.