At the same time, India is somewhat “encouraged” by the 36-page dossier on the Mumbai investigations that Pakistan handed over last week. Reason: the document concedes that the LeT was responsible for the attack, it admits to the fact that the attack was planned in Pakistan and also names Lakhvi and carries the assurance that Islamabad will move soon to indict the accused.

Today’s joint statement states that the Foreign Secretaries should meet “as often as necessary” and report to the two Foreign Ministers who will be meeting on the sidelines of the forthcoming UN General Assembly. This way, sources said, India will wait and see what happens until September when the Foreign Minister travels for the UNGA to New York.

Indian officials too tried to convey there had been no climbdown on New Delhi’s part but did not sound convincing. Asked if the ice between India and Pakistan had melted, Singh replied: “This, time will only tell. We have begun a process. How successful we are in achieving our objective only time will tell. I cannot predict the outcome of the Foreign Secretary talks...our relations have been subject to too many accidents. I really can’t say I have a roadmap where there will be no accidents.”

The statement came at the end of nearly three hours of talks between Singh and Gilani. The two leaders first met without aides for about 45 minutes and were later joined by their delegations at the resort where Singh is staying.

The joint statement also said that “both leaders agreed that the two countries will share real time, credible and actionable information on any future terrorist threats”. The move had some resemblance to the joint terror mechanism that the neighbours had put in place after the July 2006 Mumbai train blasts, incidentally on the sidelines of the previous NAM summit in Havana.

... contd.