External Affairs Minister SM Krishna articulated India’s position after his two-hour talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the first highest-level contact between the countries since their Prime Ministers met at the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh in July.Krishna said he told Qureshi that India was concerned over the terror threat still emanating from the soil of that country.
Asked about the talk of Pakistan mulling back-channel diplomacy, Krishna told reporters after the talks held on the sidelines of the UNGA Session: “When front channel is open, what is the need of back channel? We have understood each other. Our position has been understood.”
Pakistan has proposed making former foreign secretary Riaz Muhammed Khan as its Special Envoy for Indian affairs.
Asked about the atmosphere at the
keenly
awaited talks, Krishna said both had “useful and frank” exchanges.As to why India was putting pre-condition for resumption of the stalled composite dialogue, Krishna said: “I do not think we are not in a position of a dialogue. The question is the quality of the dialogue.”
“We have a legitimate concern that groups operating out of Pakistan, tend to pose a great danger to our country and to our nationals. I conveyed to Qureshi that the dialogue process needs an environment free from the threat of these terrorist groups,” Krishna said.
Krishna said Qureshi told him that the trial against the Mumbai attack suspects would start shortly and that justice would be done.
“We would be monitoring the developments in this regard carefully,” he said, adding that “concrete and effective steps against these individuals can instill in us the confidence in us that Pakistani soil would not be used against India”.
Krishna said Hafeez Saeed issue also came up during the talks. India is pressing for quick action by Pakistan to go after Saeed, the mastermind behind the Mumbai attack.
The Balochistan issue did not come up during the talks.
On Afghanistan, Krishna said, “India has gone there to help in the reconstruction of Afghanistan at their invitation. And we stop at there, there is no agenda for India in Afghanistan, other than help them out in rebuilding.”
On the non-proliferation issue, Krishna said India's record is exemplary. “Even though we are not a member of the NPT, we have always approached the non-proliferation issues with the highest sense of probity. However, we believe that non-proliferation can’t be an end in itself, it has to be linked to an effective nuclear disarmament,” he said.
— PTI
