India, Pakistan foreign secretaries prepare for minister talks
Indian foreign secretary Nirupama Rao welcomed her counterpart Salman Bashir for closed-door discussions ahead of the meeting between Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna and Pakistan's Hina Rabbani Khar on Wednesday.
(Read: Timeline: Pak-India talks in perspective)
India suspended peace talks with Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Since then, both countries have taken tentative steps to get the process back on track, focusing on basic confidence-building measures (CBMs) and leaving aside core territorial disputes.
"This meeting will look at what are the series of steps we can take in the months to come," a top foreign ministry official said during a weekend briefing, on condition of anonymity.
"We will announce some CBMs and there will be more meetings in the future and it would be good if we can expand the scope for people-to-people contacts," the source said.
Interest in Wednesday's foreign minister meeting has been piqued by the recent appointment of Khar as top diplomat.
Khar, 34, Pakistan's first female foreign minister and the youngest to occupy the post, arrives in New Delhi on Tuesday. Her counterpart Krishna is 45 years her senior.
Analysts say trade and border issues, allowing freer movement of people and goods across the heavily militarised border, offer both sides the chance to make advances.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week during a trip to India that she was "encouraged" by the dialogue between Indian and Pakistani leaders.
But there is little chance that this week's discussions will lead to progress in resolving the issues that have bedevilled the neighbours' relations for the last 60 years, bringing instability to South Asia.
India is expected to press for more progress on tackling militants in Pakistan, while Pakistan is eager to address the vexed problem of the divided region of Kashmir.
Alexander Neil, an Asia analyst at the London-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said that levels of distrust between the two countries were still far too high to push the dialogue ahead in any meaningful way.
"Public statements will be made on cooperation against terrorism but in reality there will not be any substantive progress... and the net result, I am sure, is simply that the status quo is maintained," Neil told AFP last week.
India suspended a four-year peace process with Pakistan after the attacks on its financial capital Mumbai on November 26, 2008, which left 166 people dead.
The attacks were blamed on banned Lashkar-e-Taiba group and Islamabad acknowledged that the plot was hatched at least partly on its soil.
"India is ready to discuss all issues with an open mind and will push for speedy justice for victims of the 26/11 Mumbai carnage," a senior Indian government official said last week.
In February, the two countries announced that peace talks would resume after a meeting in Bhutan.
(Read: Khar-Krishna talks: Pakistan, India plan fresh CBMs on Kashmir)
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COMMENTS (28)
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Why so much pessimistic views from both sides even when the talks have not yet commenced ? Lets be positive, stop mud-slinging at each-other and give peace a chance to live peacefully in our respective countries despite not been able to solve one major issue during these current talks.
@Khan: Musharraf's economy was twisted numbers talk to ex-IMF chief. You used to get aid. Your expenditure in infrastructure was very low. that is why you are facing basic problems like shortage water electricity.
@Khan: It's hard to get foreign project. . Chinese developed because they too got big western projects. There was no initial backup. We earned it. Indians are working hard. You hate Indians that's another issue.
@Khan: When peace talks are on, capturing vacant kargil posts in winter season is again an insult for the peaceful dialog.
@Khan: throwing nonmuslim kashmiries out of kashmir and comparing them with englishman occupying is an insult. We object. Pundits are living there for almost 3000 years.
@Khan,nobody will occupy Pakistan..who want to have 18 crores problems ?? you are not worth occupying.
@omer: You said "hypocrite nation as india" please explain with examples.
Please stop all these drama, we don't wanna waste a single rupee paying the hotel bills of this nobody.
@omar haroon,believe me bro,talks are a pure waste of time.i will say you are over optimistic.neither pakistan nor india has the leadership or will to resolve this issue today.india is happy with status quo.it is pakistan who need talk more than india.and i want my leadership to serve india,not pakistan by fecilitating talks and doing photo sessions.
@Vikram:
India shall use its tax payers money feeding those millions of Indians who born, grow and then die on footpaths, rather than spending that money on hosting Pakistani diplomats.
This is wastage of taxpayer's money . If gov is so much interested to spend money for its puppet show ,then we are opposed to it .Last time when Mr.Musharaf came to India , India spent 70K per day only on single hotel room rent,got another war. Is it austerity measure by UPA gov ?
@Incredible: dude I don't know what do you mean by 'defeat' in Kargil ... Did India occupy any part of Pakistan that you are proclaiming a win for your self ? No? then how come you won and we lost. We should stop this nonsense of war and chest thumping for no reason ... Kargil war wasn't meant to occupy any land but just to bring Kashmir issue in international spot light which is indeed myopic on our establishment's part. @Vikram: I really dont know what do you mean by taking a taste of someone's prosperity ... Indian economy has progressed and developed due to western backup who buys all your products which, then they have all their call centers in India which gives you jobs and in return your economy is growing .. Its not that India all suddenly became Industrialist country like China who's economy is growing because we buy cheap Chinese products around the world. Its not that we are jealous or something but that's the fact .. Our economy was the same during Musharraf time so its part of the process and will get better again so why do you think we would feel bad about it? When there is a cricket match between India and any non South Asian country every one supports India in Pakistan if we hated India we wouldn't be doing that (I'm sure the same is true for India). Now as far Kashmir is concern, each part of land in this world belongs to its native people ... You are not native of Kashmir so IF they (the people who are living there and have roots in that part of land) want (in majority) to liberate and self rule it, no one can stop them from Dehli ... Hope people learn to live peacefully together in all countries (Englishmen thought for 200 years India is theirs and no one can take it but it didn't become theirs it belongs to its native people).
@Vikram: sweetheart like we Pakistani's are dying to gift some territory to bharat ? and like when your secretaties/delegations come we arrange for their stay at some of our slums ? nah dear, we do waste money on their stays like you guys do :). so its a mutual waste. ofcourse with a hypocrite nation as india, there could never be peace in south asia. so lets just stay, we should keep status quo per se ?
@Omar Haroon: Yes you are right , in regards to "God Knows" but are the Pakistanis capable of doing anything right for once??? That is a Million Dollar Question!!! Sadly their track record would suggest that smart money is on, not a lot will be achieved!!!!
@John: LOL!!! very true, and shall we see who deserves nomination for best actor award??
Gotcha
Indian IAF Chief : "Response to Pakistan strike will be massive" I think we should stop needling India, else there wont be any Pakistan left. Sad to say but Truly Sorry state of affairs.
It would indeed be a great achievement if both parties managed to make some sort of headway in some of the issues being discussed. God knows that Pakistan especially could benefit from enhanced friendly ties with it's neighbor at a time when it's own house is in such a mess.
And to those of you who are already predicting the abysmal failure of such a venture, I would like to request you folks to be a bit more optimistic and have some faith in these people. Being negative and critical of everything will get us nowhere. We already have our media for that.
I as a Indian sometimes wonder that till the last Indian is alive,we are not going to spare 1 square millimeter of India's territory be it kashmir or any other part of country.So what do these people do on meetings and conferences.It is unnecessary wastage of Taxpayers money.Paksitani diplomats come to India ,take a taste of India's prosperity and go back.All the money used in paying their hotel bills etc can be used to feed underprivileged people in our country...
Hope it should be REAL TALK with good spirt fm India .. As past record of INDIA show whenever Kashmir matter come on table , they leave the table with lots of blame games on Pakistan.. We need their HEART should be cyrstal clear like She doing Smile and good handshake to Media and Salman bashir..........
12 Years after the defeat of Kargil today, Pak FM lands in Delhi.
There will be no no outcome of this puppet show..
The smiling photographs of two foreign secretaries of respective countries is a an indicator that 'All is well so far, par age kiya hoga Khuda jaane'.