New Delhi, October 28
Pakistan today responded positively to Indian suggestion of holding the next round of technical-level talks to negotiate on the vexed issue of resumption of civil aviation links, sources in the Ministry of External Affairs and Pakistan High Commission here said.
However, the Pakistanis are not willing to hold these discussions on the dates proposed by India because the holy month of Ramadan has begun.
India had suggested two sets of dates to Islamabad: November 3 and 4 or November 10 and 11.
Sources in the Pakistani High Commission said Islamabad had no problem in agreeing to the second round of technical-level talks but these would have to be held after Id which falls on November 26.
It is understood that November-end or the first week of December would suit Pakistan for holding the second round of talks on the issue of civil aviation links.
United States Secretary of State Colin Powell today called up External Affairs Minister Yashwant Singh in Brussels and congratulated him for the fresh Indian peace proposals to Pakistan. Mr Powell also expressed the hope that Pakistan would respond positively to the 12 Indian proposals announced by Mr Sinha on October 22. Mr Sinha is in Brussels on a preparatory visit ahead of the forthcoming India-European Union summit.
Even though the promised “comprehensive and robust” Pakistani response to India’s October 22 proposals is still awaited, India today embarked on the diplomacy of “positive unilateralism” by acting on three of the 12 confidence-building measures (CBMs) forwarded to Pakistan.
A spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs said instructions had been issued to the immigration authorities to allow senior citizens
above the age of 65 to cross the Wagah border on foot.
On the issue of adding more buses to the Delhi-Lahore-Delhi bus service, the spokesman said Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) Chairman A J S Sahni had written to the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC), reiterating India’s offer to run additional convoys on the Delhi-Lahore bus service on the days it is currently operating.
Besides, steps had been initiated to provide free medical treatment to the second batch of 20 Pakistani children in Indian hospitals, the spokesman said.
In response to some acerbic remarks made by the Pakistani spokesperson yesterday, the Foreign Office today said such “unfortunate” remarks were “not in keeping with the present efforts” being made for peace between the two countries. “We hope Pakistan’s response to our peace proposals will be constructive in substance and less ‘robust’ in tone and vocabulary.”
The Foreign Office also gave vent to its anger on Pakistan’s criticism of India’s decision to Depute Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani to hold talks with the Hurriyat Conference. In response to a question from this correspondent, the spokesman said “This is a continuation of Pakistan’s disruptive approach to peace in Jammu and Kashmir” and called upon Islamabad to deal with its differences and problems with India with “maturity, responsibility and a realisation that its old policies are harmful to its own interests.”
Diplomatic sources here said of the 12 proposals made by India on October 22, the one on resumption of civil aviation links was the most contentious and India expected tardy progress on the issue.
The first round of Indo-Pak talks on this issue on August 28 in Rawalpindi had collapsed, primarily because of the conflicting stands of the two countries on the question of overflights.
A terse joint statement issued at the end of the Rawalpindi talks had said the discussions helped the two sides to understand “each other’s positions” and that “a range of issues were discussed in detail” in a “cordial and business-like atmosphere”.
Pakistan insisted that India should give a written guarantee that it would not unilaterally cancel overflights permission to Pakistani planes at some point in the future.
The Indians refused to give any guarantees, oral or written, saying that if it came to giving guarantees then New Delhi could ask Islamabad to give guarantees on scores of issues, including cross-border terrorism.
Besides, the Pakistanis were told that New Delhi reserved the right to take any decision concerning national security and it could not be bound by guarantees.
Overflights were suspended following the December 13 terrorist attack on Parliament.
