NEW DELHI: Top Indian and Pakistani foreign ministry officials met Wednesday to bolster a fragile peace dialogue undermined by fresh tensions over the 2008 Mumbai attacks and political flux in Pakistan.
New Delhi suspended a four-year peace process with Islamabad after the attacks on India's financial capital by 10 gunmen that left 166 people dead.
The full peace dialogue only resumed in February last year.
Wednesday's meeting between Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani stretched to two sessions covering peace and security, confidence building measures and Kashmir.
The two top civil servants in their respective ministries will hold further talks Thursday morning - followed by a joint press conference.
The atmosphere of the talks was soured by India's recent arrest of Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari, suspected of being a key handler for the Mumbai attackers who were members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group.
India says Ansari has admitted helping to coordinate the deadly assault from a command post in Karachi, and his testimony has renewed Indian accusations that "state elements" in Pakistan were involved.
"It is no longer possible to deny that though the incident happened in Mumbai, there was a control room in Pakistan before and during the incident," Home Minister P Chidambaram said Wednesday.
"Without state support, the control room could not have been established."
Returning Tuesday from a visit to Tajikistan, Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna said the information extracted from Ansari would have to be corroborated with other sources.
"That is when we will have to make a value judgment whether Pakistan can be trusted or not," Krishna told reporters.
He also said it was a "matter of great regret" that Lashkar founder Hafiz Saeed - accused of masterminding the 2008 attacks - was still "moving freely in Pakistan".
The United States has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to Saeed's conviction.
Pakistan has indicted seven people for their alleged role in the Mumbai attacks but their trial, which began in 2009, has been beset by delays.
Thursday's foreign secretaries' meeting was to have taken place at the end of last month, but was postponed in the uncertainty that followed the Pakistani Supreme Court's dismissal of Yousaf Raza Gilani as prime minister.
"No one should expect any substantive outcome from this diplomatic meeting," G Parthasarathy, former Indian envoy to Pakistan, told AFP.
"Who is the real leader in Pakistan and whom should India be talking to? The only significance of the meeting is: Yes, we met and we will continue to meet."
The foreign secretaries are expected to lay the ground for another round of talks between their respective foreign ministers - originally scheduled for July 18 but also postponed with a new date yet to be announced.
COMMENTS (35)
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@Ahmer Ali: By 'Resolve' you mean hand over Kashmir and Siachen on a silver platter? Pakistan has been dreaming for 60 some years. No need to stop dreaming when it has gotten so good at it.
There are so many Indian trolls on ET that it is unreal
Jim : Excellent cartoon. Depicts the reality like nothing else
@Ahmer Ali: So how do you rate Pakistan's security? Where thousands have been slaughtered in past few years and no one has been held responsible for it!!! That speaks volume for your lot! Rest Assure, its in the Long Term interest of Pakistan to Grow Up and start Acknowledging the Facts surrounding them at present, otherwise this nation may not exist for much longer in its present form !
@Mr X From Bombay: Dear Indian first of all Mumbai incident was happened just due to your security's weaknesses and secondly what about the Samjhota Express' incident in which mostly Pakistani muslims were burnt by the Hindus?Before raising Mumbai attack's issue before the world please raise Samjhota Express' issue and clear your position in this regard.
@Jim......Seriously hilarious .....and picture is presenting the fact quite clearly!! ;)
@Jim:
Thats hilarious.. Haha! Good one..
@Lala Gee:
This "I will drag you down too" threat has been issued multiple times over many decades. India is well insulated from the mayhem in Pakistan. Borders are sealed.
As Irfan Hussain says, "Pakistan is the only country in the world to negotiate with the gun to its own head".
This cartoon tells you everything you want to know about India-Pakistan https://p.twimg.com/Avr6_aaCMAEwZBt.jpg:large
@Lala Gee: "“@ayesha_khan:, so if his mid is weak you tell us who is a Pakistani leader with whom any agreement can expect to be enforced.” The corresponding official in the Government of Pakistan."
There are 2 issues. One is short term and other is ongoing. 1. Short term: There is no stability at this time. One PM has gone, there is every expectation that the other one will go soon. When the PMs are coming and going any agreement reached is unlikely to be implemented.
Ongoing: Your FM or even your PM does not control foreign policy your army does. Vajpayye had agreed on a peace treaty with Nawaz Sharif and your amy did Kargill. Then again Manmohan Singh was sincerely moving towards peace and your agencies did Miumbai attack on 26/11. Most recently This is why even though India and Pakistan had reached an agreement on visas, that agreement was put on hold because your army wanted to pressurize India to resolve Siachen its way first. Your armed forces are not interested in peace and will prevent it at any cost so that they can continue to be important.@RS: Presenting facts is not finding excuse. Why such high ego ? Why you simply cannot punish those terrorists and show the world that not everyone in Pakistan are terrorist sympathizers.
@Ahmer Ali: How does burning issue like Kashmir justify 10 people from Pakistan coming to street of Mumbai and kill innocent people ?
@Malatesh: excellent and I support this!!!
@kaalchakra: Are you saying there is peace in Pakistan now since Pakistan 'rulers' are Muslim? Secondly, the rulers of India whom Brtish took over were either killed or died naturally and they came from foreign lands. Also in modern times except Pakistan, no other nation has concept if rulers but people driven democratic rule. You are not them (invadind rulers) but a product of their many abuses. Hope this clears your thinking.
Whats the point in talking ?
Is Express Tribune a platform for Indians in Pakistan? Seeing posts and likes, it certainly seems so.
@BruteForce:
"Is this an acceptance that Pakistan is a lost cause? Lost hope so soon?"
Well, you keep insisting on imposing your stance by hook and crook, and we'll make sure that happens sooner than later.
Lala Gee : "And we have done quite a few things to ensure the same thing does not happen again." And precisely that is why, because of the FEW THINGS DONE BY PAKISTAN, it is in a state of continuous pressure from the rest of the world to fix THOSE FEW THINGS. Got it ?
The biggest mistake the British made was that they did not hand back the rulership of the entire land to the people they took it from. Only natural rulers can bring peace.
Off n on India will always find or come up with one or another excuse to delay to sit n discuss with sincerity. It's basically waste of time n energy. Better Pakistan concentrate on it's economical n political issues. Once these two facotrs will be under control, India will sit n talk. In the meantime Pakistan forces needs to keep eye on any otter adverturism of Indians n if they try another adventure, Pakistan response should be swift n firm.
@Lala Gee:
"India needs to be reverted back to the pre-independence state and all the 500+ princely states that existed within the current Indian territory during the British rule must be restored. This is the only realistic solution of all the problems of Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh."
Its Pakistan in the top 15 of failed states, not India.
The world is beckoning India onto the World stage as a super power and you want to drag India with Pakistan?
Is this an acceptance that Pakistan is a lost cause? Lost hope so soon?
@Hedgefunder:
"Pakistan has not learnt anything in past 60 years, even after losing half of the Nation !"
Believe me we have learned a lot. Now we know exactly how malicious and malevolent our eastern neighbor is. And we have done quite a few things to ensure the same thing does not happen again.
@ayesha_khan:
"Okay, so if his mid is weak you tell us who is a Pakistani leader with whom any agreement can expect to be enforced."
The corresponding official in the Government of Pakistan.
@Lala Gee: "“Who is the real leader in Pakistan and whom should India be talking to?” Looks like his mind is also as weak as his eyes."
Okay, so if his mid is weak you tell us who is a Pakistani leader with whom any agreement can expect to be enforced.
Why waste time on these useless talks? Pakistan has not learnt anything in past 60 years, even after losing half of the Nation ! First they need to learn to grow up and start acting their age, like 60 odd years old and then come for such talks !
@Malatesh:
"Obviously India is interested in its own part.. ie Entire Kasmir".
So. who's gonna take Punjab and Sindh?
India needs to be reverted back to the pre-independence state and all the 500+ princely states that existed within the current Indian territory during the British rule must be restored. This is the only realistic solution of all the problems of Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
"Who is the real leader in Pakistan and whom should India be talking to?"
Looks like his mind is also as weak as his eyes.
@Lala Gee,
Obviously India is interested in its own part.. ie Entire Kasmir.
@Malatesh:
"Talk is of no use. Only solution is, Iran, Afghanistan, China, and India should equally share Pakistan’s territory."
Which part India is interested in? And when you are going to take that part. How long must we wait before India collects enough courage to cross the no-mans-land. Looks like world hasn't enough of glucose to make that happen.
@Shyam: A leader who all of a sudden goes underground. Have not heard from him for some time now.
Who is the real leader in Pakistan and whom should India be talking to?
Hafiz Sayeed seems to be the leader now. It would be a waste of time to ask him to take action against himself
Talk is of no use. Only solution is, Iran, Afghanistan, China, and India should equally share Pakistan's territory.
Both the nations will have to tread cautiously here. Rational perspective would be to keep the dialogue process in parallel to the talks about Mumbai Attacks & bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Come on now stop such these types of useless peace talks because there is nothing to be changed or happened in the future by only these photo shoots and fashion shows between the Pakistani and Indian leaders because India is insincere and dishonest to resolve all the major,core and burning issues most especially importantly Kashmir and Siachen.......