Terror only issue with Pak: SM

The external affairs minister, Mr S.M. Krishna, on Monday said a meeting between the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and his Pakistani counterpart, Mr Yousaf Raza Gilani, on the sidelines of the two-day 16th Saarc summit had always been in the air.

The spirit of it was to keep up bilateral contacts at a high level even if no concrete forward movement on key questions was expected. A sense of engagement might be better than its absence, he observed.

Responding to a question on whether India would agree to hand over Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist captured after the 26/11 Mumbai attack, to Pakistan following the demand to that effect made by the Pakistan’s interior minister, Mr Rahman Malik, the external affairs minister said, “Late last night I received the six dossiers forwarded by Pakistan, and have not had the time to apply my mind. The decision would naturally be taken after due consultation among the various arms of the government. However, the Kasab trial is in an advanced stage in India. We should complete our own process first before taking a call on other matters.”

A high-level source noted that the dossiers from Islamabad were a response to the material India had sent them earlier, and related to the trial of the Pakistani conspirators of 26/11.

He indicated that “terrorism” was the only issue of substance to talk to the Pakistan Prime Minister about at this stage.

It is understood top Indian officials and ambassadors in the region are unable to grasp the reasons for holding a bilateral meeting with the Pakistan Prime Minister at this stage.

Those who deal with Pakistan on a regular basis best understand the futility of engagement at the highest level at the current juncture, sources said.

Asked if agreeing to meet Mr Gilani in Thimpu amounted to Dr Singh accepting the contours of the Pakistani “roadmap” for resumption of the composite dialogue process suspended by India after the attacks on Mumbai in November 2008, a leading source said, “It is too early to go that far. We do need to understand first how far Pakistan wishes to advance the relationship, and whether it is capable of taking the necessary steps.”

The Pakistan “roadmap” was enunciated at a meeting of the foreign secretaries of the two countries on February 25.

It envisaged a meeting between the two Prime Ministers, taking advantage of their presence at the Saarc summit.