NEW DELHI, Sept 6:
“We will persevere”, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna today said, outlining India approach to Indo-Pak dialogue while insisting that Pakistan must address “terrorism-related concerns”.
On the eve of his departure for Islamabad, Krishna, in an interview to reporters, said “it would be unrealistic to expect a barbaric terror attack such as Mumbai not to cause a major setback to our efforts to build peace and co-operation.”
He was asked that though India was committed to the dialogue process the Prime Minister and he has always insisted on demonstrable action in 26/11 trial in that country and if it was disappointing that Pakistan has not done much in this regard.
He also asserted that India has “given more than adequate evidence to Pakistan to enable them to bring the perpetrators of 26/11 to justice.”
“In diplomacy, patience is of paramount importance. We will persevere. There has been progress in areas of economic and commercial cooperation……I hope to give a further boost to people-to-people contacts as people are at the heart of relations between any two countries”, Krishna said.
His remarks come in the backdrop of a possibility of India and Pakistan inking a new liberalised visa pact during Krishna’s three-day visit when he will hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar. Though, agreed last year, the pact could not be inked in May this year with Pakistan insisting that it should be done at a political level.
Though he noted the progress made in the area of economic and trade cooperation, the minister was quick to add that “terrorism continues to be the most important threat to peace and security in our region.”
This is Krishna’s second visit to Pakistan in over two years. He had last visited Pakistan in 2010 when he held talks with then Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
On his expectations from his visit, Krishna said he, along with Khar, would review the progress of the second round of the resumed dialogue, which has been successfully concluded, and chart the course for future engagement.
“I look forward to my discussions with her, which I believe will serve to promote mutual understanding and trust between our two countries. India is of the view that normalization of relations between India and Pakistan should be a step-by-step process. My visit to Pakistan is one more step in that approach,” he said.
The minister also said he intends “to discuss with Khar the possibilities that can be pursued to facilitate a purposeful visit of the Prime Minister.”
“It is also clear that the right atmosphere needs to be created for the visit. Such a visit would need to be prepared well to have a substantive outcome,” he said, adding India has repeatedly stressed, including at the highest level, the need for an expeditious and successful conclusion of the trial in Pakistan relating to those involved with the Mumbai terrorist attacks of November, 2008.
In this context, he also recalled the Prime Minister’s recent remarks that action in respect to 26/11 trial will be a major confidence-building measure, help bridge the trust deficit and also help to build public support in India for the kind of relationship “we would like to see between the two countries”.
Asked about the view that Indo-Pak dialogue was not going anywhere and that the two countries were talking for the sake of it, Krishna said “I acknowledge there are issues between our two countries. However, our people should not be denied the benefits of a productive and co-operative relationship because of the existence of such issues.
“We also need to acknowledge the considerable progress made by us, especially in regard to trade and commerce in the last year. Of course, some of the issues between us are very complex are not amenable to quick solutions. That should not deter us from continuing to pursue our efforts to resolve these issues.”
He also said he was encouraged by statements by the leadership of Pakistan, including his counterpart, reaffirming the desire to resolve all issues on the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) today cleared the agenda of talks that External Affairs Minister S M Krishna will have with his Pakistani counterpart in Islamabad on Saturday.
During the talks, terrorism and early conclusion of Mumbai terror attack trial in Pakistan will be high on agenda of the Indian side.
The agenda for the talks between Krishna and Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar was approved by the CCS headed by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, sources said.
The parleys, a review meeting for the second round of talks which included discussion on contentious issues like Jammu and Kashmir, Sir Creek and Siachen, will also be preceded by Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) meeting which is taking place after a gap of nearly seven years.
The JCM is headed by the Ministers of the two countries and consists of eight technical groups, mostly relating to trade and economy.
However, it is not clear whether Krishna will carry any evidence of the Home Ministry’s assertion that most of the recent hate messages spread through web and SMSes from Pakistan besides any other proof on the revelations made by LeT terrorist Abu Jundal on Pakistan’s involvement in 26/11 attacks in Mumbai.
The issue of Jundal had already been raised by Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai during talks with his counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani here in July. (PTI)
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