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.”

No joint statements after Indo-Pak talks

Thursday’s talks between the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan is not expected to yield a joint statement.

For New Delhi, the meeting between Ms Nirupama Rao and her Pakistan counterpart Mr Salman Bashir, who arrived here on Wednesday, would be a reasonable success if Islamabad were to recognise the “trust deficit” between the two countries and respond by taking steps, however small, so that the possibility of future dialogue is not undermined.

The differences over the ambit and nature of talks persist, with Islamabad maintaining that Kashmir will be a priority for its delegation and New Delhi reiterating that it would like to focus on the issue of cross-border terrorism.

Sources here sought to play down expectations of any significant outcome from the talks.

A source said New Delhi was conscious of the limitations imposed by the “trust deficit” following the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

The source stated that given the complexities involved, the Indian side would definitely use the opportunity of discussions to clear the air as much as possible.

'Pak should take effective action against anti-India groups'

Ahead of the Indo-Pak talks this week, India made it clear that process of normalisation of ties with Pakistan can be sustained only by "effective action" against groups there calling for jihad against India.

"...calls of jihad, hostility and aggression continue to be made openly against India. This reflects the real and tangible difficulties that we face in dealing with Pakistan," Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said, delivering the key note address at the 3rd International Institute of Strategic Studies-MEA Dialogue here on Monday.

She also emphasised that "effective action against such groups" by Pakistan is an "absolute must" if the process of normalisation that India desires with Pakistan was to happen.

Referring to the talks in New Delhi on Thursday with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir, Ms. Rao said India is making "another sincere attempt" to initiate dialogue with Pakistan.

"We hope we can build, in a graduated manner, better communication and a serious and responsive dialogue to address issues of concern between our two countries," she said.

Describing terrorism as the pivotal security challenge for India, Ms. Rao said terror groups implacably opposed to India continue to recruit, train and plot attacks "from safe havens across our borders."

Terming Pakistan's steps against terrorism as "selective," Ms. Rao demanded that the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror strikes are brought to justice expeditiously and act decisively to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism on its territory.

"Under pressure and faced with the threat of terrorism in its own country, Pakistan has initiated some steps to fight this scourge. But these steps are selective," the Foreign Secretary said, adding that distinctions between Taliban, Al Qaeda and terrorist outfits such as LeT were now meaningless.

"...they are now in effect fused both operationally and ideologically. We have consistently maintained that Pakistan should bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attack to justice and in a transparent manner," she said.

Ms. Rao also noted that terror groups implacably opposed to India continue to recruit, train and plot attacks from "safe havens across our borders."

"The greatest threat to peace and stability in our region emanates from the shelter terrorists find in the border of Afghanistan-Pakistan and in Pakistan itself," she said.

To a question on what she expected from the talks, Ms. Rao said: "I think, I should leave any comment, till after the meeting."

Asked whether Kashmir would figure at the talks, she said "the issue of Jammu and Kashmir is something we must discuss bi-laterally and resolve peacefully. But at the talks our core concern is terrorism and it is essential to focus on it. We will move in a manner, slow and deliberately."

On Afghanistan

On Afghanistan, Ms. Rao said India's focus is on development activity with the aim to build indigenous Afghan capacities and institutions.

"This will enable an effective State system to improve the delivery of goods and services to Afghan people. Our assistance, now over US$ 1.3 billion, is spread over a large number of provinces in Afghanistan," she said.

To a question on clandestine activities in the neighbourhood in respect of "nuclear terrorism", Ms. Rao said India would tackle it through the U.N. process.

"India has initiated on the issue in cooperation with Russia. The matter has been moved to the US and US President Barack Obama is expected to endorse the initiative this year," she said.

On China

She said there is both competition and collaboration in the dynamic equilibrium of India's relationship with Beijing.

Key elements in the India-China relationship like imbalances in bilateral trade, the unresolved boundary question, our dialogue on water resources with regard to the trans-border rivers like the Brahmaputra and the Sutlej point to the complex and evolving nature of our dialogue, she said.

"In our own region, which remains geo-politically unstable, China has an enduring strategic relationship with Pakistan, and a growing presence in other neighbouring countries.

Ms. Rao said: "We are conscious of these leverages that China has developed in our region and realize fully that our relations with China cannot be uni-dimensional, or seen through a narrow prism."

Sri Lanka

Ms. Rao said India's political relations are close, trade and investment have increased exponentially, and there is broad-based engagement across all sectors of bilateral cooperation.

"We view the conclusion of the military operations against the LTTE as providing an opportunity to finally achieve a lasting political settlement acceptable to all communities, including the Tamils, within a united Sri Lanka," she said.

Bangladesh

"India's relations with Bangladesh have acquired further substance and scope in recent months, particularly after the very successful visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in January this year," Ms. Rao said.

"Our security related cooperation has developed positively as also our cooperation in infrastructural development in Bangladesh, for which we have announced a USD 1 billion concessional Line of Credit," she said.

Terrorism focus of talks with Pakistan: Nirupama Rao

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao on Monday said India’s concern about terrorism would be its main focus at the forthcoming talks with Pakistan this week.

“Our core concerns about terrorism will find essential focus (at the Feb 25 talks),” Ms. Rao told reporters here at a conference organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Ms. Rao is set to meet with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir in New Delhi on Thursday. This will be the first significant stand-alone official level interaction between the neighbours since India suspended the composite dialogue process after the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

India has been asking Pakistan to take action against the masterminds of the Mumbai terror attack and also to dismantle the infrastructure of terror groups operating on its soil.

“Effective action against such groups by the government of Pakistan is an absolute must,” Ms. Rao said.

While India has only one item on its agenda, Pakistan has said it will raise all issues at the meeting, including Kashmir.

“Obviously, we would like to keep the door to dialogue open,” Ms. Rao said, adding that both countries should move forward in a “slow and deliberate” manner.

One killed as militants attack police station in J&K

A policeman was killed when ultras attacked Sopore police station in Baramulla district of north Kashmir on Tuesday.

Head constable Mohammad Yousuf was entering the police station at 10:45 AM when militants opened fire, Deputy Inspector General of Police (north Kashmir) Abdul Qayoom Manhas told PTI.

The policeman died instantly in the firing, he said.

The militants fled when police guards retaliated, Mr. Manhas said, adding a massive hunt has been launched to nab them.

The attack in the apple-rich Sopore, 55 kms from here, comes barely five days after militants killed two persons including a policeman in the town.

The militant attack sparked panic in the area as shopkeepers abandoned their shops and ran for safety.

Transport also came to a grinding halt, official sources said.

Reinforcements of police and paramilitary carried out a thorough search operation despite incessant rains and snowfall. However, no one was arrested, the sources said.

Sopore has witnessed a spurt in militant activities since December last year.