M A I N   N E W S

India cool to Pak demand for Foreign
Secretary-level talks
Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 28
India is cool to Pakistan’s demand for holding Foreign Secretary-level bilateral talks and is in favour of a “step-by-step” approach to improving relations with Islamabad.

The considered opinion of the Vajpayee government, according to well-placed sources today, is that before the stalled dialogue resumes at the level desired by Pakistan, that country has to do quite a lot in addressing India’s main concern, that is cross-border terrorism.

Indications emanating from the South Block here are that the dialogue at the level of foreign secretaries is not in the realm of immediate or even near future.

Foreign Office spokesman Navtej Sarna also sounded sceptical when he said, “What is required of Pakistan is to react substantively to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s peace initiative by taking effective steps leading to tangible results in ending terrorism rather than seeking to avoid this responsibility by only talking of dialogue and the level at which it should commence.”

The Ministry of External Affairs’ position is that India has repeatedly said that its doors were open for dialogue with Pakistan if Islamabad were to end its support to cross-border terrorism.

The Foreign Office here has taken note of the spurt in terrorist violence in recent days. In response to Pakistan’s suggestion for Foreign Secretary-level dialogue, the MEA today also said, “If there is sincerity in creating the right conditions, then we will be able to move ahead.”

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri had told reporters in Karachi on July 26 that “Foreign Secretary-level talks must start soon”. Mr Kasuri also opined that “Talks at a level lower than the Foreign Secretary, as proposed by India, would serve no purpose.”

There are few takers of this opinion in the Vajpayee government which remains committed to a step-by-step approach in improving relations with Pakistan.

Significantly, though the Government of India has repeatedly stressed the need for Pakistan to end its support to cross-border terrorism, New Delhi has not blamed the Musharraf-Jamali regime for the latest terrorist attack on an Army camp in Tanda in the Akhnoor sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, New Delhi used to go on record promptly in blaming Islamabad for such terrorist acts. This departure, sources said, was demonstrative of India’s intentions of improving relations with Pakistan.