India, Pak to resume talks

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 10

Ending months of stalemate, India and Pakistan today agreed to restart the stalled dialogue process indicating preparedness to discuss "all outstanding issues" and decided to discuss ways and means to expedite Mumbai trial case.

The decision to revive the talks came at the conclusion of a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at Ufa, Russia where both leaders were present to attend the meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Summit (SCO). A joint statement issued by New Delhi and Islamabad read out in turn by respective Foreign Secretaries S. Jaishankar and Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhary, said both Prime Ministers met on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in a cordial atmosphere.

Prime Minister Modi also accepted invitation from Prime Minister Sharif to visit Pakistan for the 16th SAARC Summit. Reports from Ufa said the meeting between the two leaders continued for nearly one hour during which they exchanged views on issues of bilateral and regional interest. Both leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and agreed to cooperate with each other to eliminate this menace from South Asia and agreed to take five steps: a meeting between National Security Advisers to discuss all issues connected to terrorism; early meeting of Chiefs of Border Police and  Directors General of Military Operations; release fishermen and their boats in each other's custody within 15 days; mechanism to facilitate religious tourism; and discuss ways and means to expedite the Mumbai case trial, including additional information like providing voice samples.

Both the foreign secretaries did not take any questions while the joint statement said both leaders agreed that India and Pakistan have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and promote development. To do so, they are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues. The Ufa meeting was the first occasion after May 2014 when both the Prime Ministers held formal talks. 

The last time they met was in Kathmandu at the concluding session of the SAARC Summit. When PM Sharif came to New Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi, both leaders agreed on a formal interaction between the foreign secretaries to kick-start the talks that had been on the hold since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Yet, just days ahead of the scheduled meeting between the foreign secretaries, India called it off protesting the move of Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit to meet separatist Kashmiri leaders. Since then Track-II advocates have been urging leadership on the either side to begin the talks.

Thereafter, Prime Minister Modi took two initiatives, calling up the leaders of SAARC countries, including Pakistan, whose teams were taking part in the World Cricket Cup to wish them well and sending Foreign Secretary Jaishankar on a "SAARC yatra".  Last month he called up leaders, including Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif, to convey his greetings ahead of Ramzan. 

Both the these steps were seen as attempts to re-ignite the talks called off by New Delhi as Islamabad insisted that the initiative should come from India which cried off from it. The last time the Directors General of Border Security Force and Pakistan Rangers met was in Lahore in December 2013 followed by the meeting between Directors General of Military Operations. 

India has ceded ground: Cong

Our policy on Pakistan continues to be characterised by fits and starts. Pakistan cannot be rewarded for going soft on 26/11 mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, for unabated LoC violations and for not keeping a single promise it made in the past. —Anand Sharma, congress spokesperson

A welcome step, says Omar

Resumption of the Indo-Pak dialogue is a welcome development. I only hope that this time it is sustained over the long term for results. —Omar Abdullah, former j-k cm on twitter