Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistan counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani today stopped short of resuming the stalled Composite Dialogue process with New Delhi opting to wait for a couple of months to watch how Islamabad translates its assurances on the 26/11 investigations into concrete action.

This became clear only after enough confusion had been created by one line in the joint statement issued hours after the two leaders met: “Action on terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process and these should not be bracketed”.

This was seen as India agreeing to resume the dialogue process. Later, when the PM was asked about this, his reply was categorical, “That is not my interpretation.”

And then he explained: “The Pakistani side was very keen we agree here and now to resume the composite dialogue. But unless we are satisfied about the action taken against the people responsible for the Mumbai attacks no dialogue can succeed.”

Dismissing the view that India had effectively opened the doors for the dialogue to start without any concrete result on the terror front, he said: “We were quite clear that if acts of terrorism continue to be perpetrated, there is no question of a dialogue, least of all, a comprehensive dialogue. If there is no attempt to contain terrorism, no dialogue can make progress. A dialogue process even if it starts, cannot move forward.”

The first test will come up on Saturday when the case against Lashkar-e-Toiba operations head and prime accused Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi comes up for hearing. The expectation is that he, along with five others, will be indicted and a chargesheet submitted. But India continues to be watchful as the case has been adjourned thrice because a new judge has not been appointed to the court concerned.

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