Terror, Kashmir top India, Pak dialogue

India and Pakistan agreed on Thursday to narrow their differences and take more confidence-building measures on issues ranging from terrorism, humanitarian matters and Jammu and Kashmir in an effort to bridge the “trust deficit”.

The foreign secretaries, Ms Nirupama Rao and Mr Salman Bashir, in a marked change from the acrimony seen in bilateral encounters since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, held “cordial and constructive” talks here Thursday in a bid to “understand each other’s position and concerns.”

The home minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, will travel to Islamabad on Friday on a two-day visit, when he is expected to press for a probe on Lashkar-e-Tayyaba founder Hafiz Saeed, believed to be the mastermind behind the 26/11 attack, and seek voice samples of handlers of the Mumbai attackers. Mr Chidambaram, who is primarily going for the Saarc home ministers’ conference on Saturday, will meet the Pakistan’s interior minister, Mr Rehman Malik, soon after reaching Islamabad.

Ms Nirupama Rao, the first senior Indian official to visit Pakistan since 26/11, said at a joint press conference with Mr Bashir: “Both countries should emphasise on reviving the disrupted dialogue process. We discussed modalities for restoring of trust and agreed that the dialogue process is the only way forward.”