New Delhi, September 19
The Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan will meet in New York later this month on the margins of the UN General Assembly but the prospects of a breakthrough in the bilateral relationship are remote. Addressing a press conference here today, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao announced that she would also be meeting her counterpart in New York ahead of the meeting between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his opposite number Shah Mahmud Qureshi.
“We are in the process of finalising the dates (for the meeting),” she said. Indications are that the two Foreign Secretaries would meet on September 26 and the Foreign Ministers the same day sometime later or the next day. It is quite clear that India is not impressed by Pakistan registering FIRs against Jamat-ud Dawa (JUD) Chief Hafeez Saeed, the key plotter of the 26/11 attacks, in cases not connected with the Mumbai carnage. New Delhi’s apprehension is that the arrest is a ‘cosmetic step’ which might have been taken only in view of the high-level contacts between the two countries in the coming days.
Nirupama Rao also sought to emphasise that the process of dialogue with Pakistan was contingent upon Islamabad creating an atmosphere free of violence.
“The first step in that direction is to squarely deal with the threat of terrorism.” Asked about Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s statement that the stalemate between India and Pakistan would only embolden the forces working against India and Pakistan, she said “engagement with Pakistan is in the long-term interest of both countries but we can’t shut our eyes in terms of threat of terrorism from across the border.”
On what were New Delhi’s expectations from Islamabad ahead of the upcoming exchanges, the top Indian diplomat said “our expectation from Pakistan is to deal seriously and in a meaningful manner with terrorism directed against India from its soil…it is our hope that Pakistan will sincerely address our concerns so that an outcome can
be reached”.
She confirmed that there had been certain incidents of ceasefire violations apart from infiltration from the Pakistani side. The matter had been taken up at the level of DGMOs and flag meetings have also been held.
In a tough tone, however, she stated that “it is the responsibility of Pakistan to see that whoever is responsible for (ceasefire violations) should not have the license to destabilise the relationship”.
