Pak tries to put water on table,India says no

So,last week,when Islamabad told New Delhi about the list of officials who would be coming for the FS-level talks,India said a “polite no” to the Pakistan Foreign office’s list which included water and power officials.

India’s focus for the talks was evident from Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao’s remarks at the MEA-IISS seminar in London on Monday,where she stressed that “effective action against such groups” by Pakistan is an “absolute must” if the process of normalisation that India desires with Pakistan was to happen. She said India is making “another sincere attempt” to initiate dialogue with Pakistan. “We hope we can build,in a graduated manner,better communication and a serious and responsive dialogue to address issues of concern between our two countries,” she said,referring to the talks.

Sources said eight officials from both sides will be participating in the talks. Pakistan Foreign secretary Salman Bashir will be accompanied by Director General (South Asia) in the Pakistan Foreign ministry,Afrasiyab,and Pakistan Foreign office spokesperson Abdul Basit. Afrasiyab,it may be noted,was the Deputy High Commissioner to India,and has spent more than six years here in the last 11 years.

From the Indian side,Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao will be accompanied by Joint Secretary (Pakistan) Y K Sinha,who took charge last year,and MEA’s official spokesperson Vishnu Prakash.

The High Commissioners will also be part of the official talks,as Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik will be there and Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal will also be present.

Sabharwal’s inputs,sources said,are going to be key to the deliberations,since he has had first-hand knowledge of the Pakistan government. Sabharwal’s presence,it may be noted,will also be crucial since he is the only diplomat from the Indian side who has had the opportunity to meet the ISI chief Shuja Pasha last year.