New Delhi, July 14
A day after triple blasts rocked the country’s financial capital, India today said the Foreign Minister-level talks with Pakistan would take place as scheduled on July 26-27.

Allaying apprehensions that the blasts could affect the dialogue process between India and Pakistan, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna today said that there was no change in the scheduled high-profile visits of his guests from Pakistan US. There is also no change in the scheduled visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton next week for the second India-US strategic dialogue, he said.

Senior Indian officials also ruled out the possibility of any ‘knee-jerk’ reaction by India on the dialogue process with Pakistan. “There are elements both in India and Pakistan that would like to derail the dialogue process… we should not allow them to succeed,’’ they said.

Krishna condemned the "dastardly and heinous attacks on Mumbai" and said that the State will do everything within its power to bring the guilty to justice at the earliest. "This is yet another grim reminder to everyone in this region and our country that terror is a continuing threat to India and it is necessary for all Indians to be ever vigilant of these terrorist attacks," he said.

India has carefully avoided pointing a finger at Pakistan or elements in the neighbouring country for the Mumbai serial blasts. However, it is now quite obvious that the focus of the talks would be on terrorism. New Delhi will press Pakistan to dismantle the terrorist machinery operating on its soil and also to bring to justice perpetrators of the 26/11 attacks.

The Foreign Minister is scheduled to review the progress in the dialogue process with his Pakistani counterpart on July 26-27. Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir is scheduled to come a day before his Foreign Minister’s visit.

Indications are that Hina Rabbani Khar, currently Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in Pakistan, would be elevated to Cabinet rank before she visits India.

Meanwhile, France, Japan, Australia, Israel and several other countries have also condemned the Mumbai blasts.