India,Pak agree to talk again

Siachen and Kashmir,she said,could be part of the dialogue process. Asked if this amounted to resumption of the composite dialogue that had been abandoned,Rao said: “I do not want to get stuck in terminology. But we had a good,useful,constructive meeting in Thimphu.”

“In July,some strings were snapped. It was like you are playing music and suddenly a string snaps and the whole music goes haywire. Let us put those back. Let us move forward,” she said.

Asked about Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s reported statement on Kashmiris being included as a “third party” in the dialogue process,Rao said: “Let us not go into rhetoric. We should not kill this effort,and this applies to Pakistan too. So much hard work has gone behind this effort.”

“People of J&K are part of the Indian system. There are only two parties involved in the talks — India and Pakistan,” she said.

“We have now agreed to discuss every outstanding issue of importance to both sides.” And all issues include terrorism,drug trafficking,people-to-people contact,confidence building measures,trade across LoC,peace and security,Sir Creek.

Later,a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs said that Rao,during the talks here,was assured by the Pakistan delegation that every institution of the Pakistan government was in support of resuming the dialogue process with India and this included the Pakistan Army as well. The Pakistan Army,the official said,was on board to take these talks forward.

But Rao reminded reporters that “India-Pakistan dialogue is not about a photo-op. Let us have no illusion that we have solved everything. The dialogue is going to be a long one and the difficulty levels should never be undermined… Even roses come with thorns.”

She said the next big thing on the agenda was the visit to India by the Pakistan Foreign Minister and the next few months were not going to be dormant. “Both sides are going to engage with each other in a comprehensive manner.”

The dates for Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s visit have not yet been finalized but it is likely to happen in the middle of the year. Before that,there would be a series of meetings between officials of the two countries at different levels to ensure that the right atmosphere is created,the right confidence-level and trust between the two sides is achieved.

“It is a ladder,we will have to climb it. There has to be sequencing of the issues that are going to be taken up and preparations to be done. These will take place and be completed by the time Qureshi visits India,” Rao said.

Asked if Pakistan raised the issue of the Samjhauta Express blast case,she said: “The Pakistani side did raise the Samjhauta issue during the talks in a matter-of-fact manner. The Indian stand was that an investigation is underway and until the investigation is complete,the evidence cannot be shared with anyone. Once the investigation is over,India will surely share it with Pakistan. A number of Pakistanis were killed in that explosion.”

Referring to the 26/11 Mumbai attack case,Rao said India had sent a note to Pakistan government requesting it to allow a commission to visit Pakistan to inquire into the incident.

“The Pakistan government got back to us on February 3,seeking clarifications as to under what provisions the commission wanted to visit Pakistan… Our response to the Pakistan query was that India wanted to send the team under the provisions governed by the principles of comity,which is legal parlance and ensures reciprocity,” Rao said.

Asked about the trust-deficit bridged during this round of talks,Rao said: “We have begun the process. Now just light a few butter lamps in Thimphu and turn a few prayer wheels.”