FM meetings : Peace momentum stalls

[sparklingway]

Peace momentum stalls as moods change​

July 16, 2010

Indian's Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna (2 L) holds talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi (2 R) in Islamabad. PHOTO: AFP
​

ISLAMABAD: In a remarkable shift in diplomatic moods, the India-Pakistan foreign ministers’ meeting, full of optimism in the morning, ended in tension and disagreement by evening. Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, could only agree their talks were “frank and honest”, both countries wanted “friendly, cooperative relations,” and they would meet again at some unspecified point of time.

This was striking because both Indian and Pakistani officials had told media earlier in the day that talks were “going well” and progress was being made. But a noontime press conference was repeatedly postponed and eventually held only at eight at night.

Krishna and Qureshi made separate statements that sought to emphasise that their talks were part of an ongoing process, that given the “complex” relations between the two countries no one should expect quick results. But it was obvious the two sides had failed to agree on anything, even the confidence-building measures regarding imprisoned fishermen and making the Line of Control more porous that had been widely expected.

Pakistan iterated previous statements that terrorism was a “common concern” and that the “mood” in Pakistan regarding this menace had changed.

There were reports that negotiations had gone askew because of New Delhi’s insistence that any joint agreement had to include something tangible on terrorism, no matter how small, from Pakistan. When that was not forthcoming, negotiations on other less contentious issues foundered.

Pakistan had focused on getting India to commit itself to a resumption of a broad-based dialogue which included terrorism. Given the strength of public opinion in India regarding Mumbai and the lack of support Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has within his own government for the peace process, this is politically unsaleable in New Delhi.

After the positive momentum that was generated at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit in Thimpu and the subsequent meeting of home and interior ministers in Islamabad has clearly stalled. While the drop has been remarkably sharp and quick, the fact is that this sort of rupture was inevitable. The Mumbai terrorist attack was a rock lurking under the diplomatic waters and the peace process was inevitably going to have to find a way to navigate beyond it.

The foreign ministers’ meeting was the first encounter with this problem and revealed it still remained to potent to be either forgotten or pushed off till a later date. Qureshi will now visit New Delhi and it can be expected that both sides will once again attempt to bridge the “trust deficit”. As both ministers insisted, the Thimpu process will continue. However, there should no longer be any illusions that it will be as easy and simple as some had believed earlier.

The writer is the Foreign Editor of The Hindustan Times and is accompanying the Indian delegation to Pakistan

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16th, 2010.

Talking the talk​

By Naveed Akbar

July 16, 2010

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Indian counterpart S M Krishna get up to leave after their news conference in Islamabad....​

ISLAMABAD: The stiff body language and the carefully minced words were dead giveaways. And correspondingly, the latest round of talks between Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi did not produce any concrete results nor a roadmap for the future. Not unless one counts Krishna’s invitation to Qureshi to come play tennis in December.

There were two rounds of talks between the foreign ministers on Thursday. In between, Krishna had separate meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

However, say analysts, the direction of the talks can also be gauged from the timing of the joint press conference. Initially scheduled for 2 pm, the presser was postponed till 6 pm, ostensibly because talks remained inconclusive. But the second round also failed to yield concrete results and the press conference was delayed by more than two hours. And though both sides insisted the talks had been “friendly”, there was neither a joint communiqué nor a decision – on any issue. And this is the reason analysts have dubbed the meeting ‘talk, for the sake of talk’.

Qureshi said Pakistan has always desired ‘neighbourly’ relations with India and Pak-India dialogue from this point onwards will build on the talks in the last four years. He said all confidence-building options were discussed and that both countries will have to adopt a joint strategy to deal with the common enemy – terrorism. Qureshi said that ways to expedite the trial of the Mumbai accused were also taken up and that Pakistan is deliberating over the additional information provided by Indian home minister P. Chidambaram to interior minister Rehman Malik.

However, he was quick to identify other issues which are of “primary importance” for Pakistan – terrorist activities and violation of human rights in the Indian Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek – and insisted that these merited purposeful dialogue. Qureshi said India has made verbal representations for the immediate resolution of the Sir Creek issue, which will need to be reduced into writing. The release of prisoners and fishermen were also discussed, he said.

At his turn, Krishna said the two sides had gotten the opportunity to air their points of view and expressed India’s desire for ‘neighbourly relations’ based on peace and cooperation with Pakistan. He also expressed hope that Gilani’s assurance to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Thimpu that Pakistani land will not be allowed to be used against India will be executed.

Krishna said Pakistan had been given the additional information procured from Mumbai accused David Coleman Hadley during his interrogation by the FBI. “The arrest of the people involved in the Mumbai attacks in the light of this information will be the single biggest step towards confidence-building,” he said, while reiterating India’s demand for expediting the trial in Pakistan of the seven accused of the Mumbai attacks.

“When we talk of progress in these trials, we should not forget that a judicial process is underway,” shot back Qureshi. “We’ve told India of the help we need. Pakistan has already declared Ajmal Kasab to be a proclaimed offender; now we need for the Indian magistrate and the investigators who recorded Kasab’s statements need to appear in a court here.” Insisting that the Pakistani judiciary is independent and that its decisions must be respected, Qureshi was categoric in his assertion that no timeframe could be imposed for the disposal of the case.

Perhaps in a bid to sound a more positive note, Krishna interjected here that the Pakistani foreign minister has accepted an invitation to India, the dates of which would be confirmed later.

So why wasn’t there a concrete outcome? “The nature of our relationship is complex; there are several impediments in the way of smooth relations,” said Qureshi. However, he insisted that democratic forces can redeem even hopeless situations.

To a specific question regarding the human rights violations in Indian Kashmir, Krishna said many rights activists and organisations are monitoring the situation.

Responding to another question, Qureshi said the two sides had discussed the issue of Indian involvement in Balochistan and Fata in great detail. “India has assured us that it does not desire instability in Balochistan and that if Bramdagh Bugti is a Pakistani national – which he is – his Indian passport will be revoked,” said Qureshi.

But Krishna would not let it go at that and the ‘friendly’ talks soon veered towards the point-scoring that has often characterised relations between the two countries. “Pakistan raised the issue of Indian involvement in Balochistan even at Sharm el Shaikh,” recounted Krishna. “But we haven’t received any evidence of Indian interference; if we were to get this, we’d look into the issue.”

“Infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir during 2008-09 shot up by 40 per cent,” continued Krishna. “India is obviously monitoring this situation and the attempt to create instability in a part of India.”

“Pakistan’s position on this is clear: infiltration is neither the policy of the Pakistani state or any of its intelligence agencies,” shot back Qureshi. “India is free to take strict action against individuals who pursue such policies; the hot line between the DGMOs of both countries was set up to discuss precisely such issues.”

A question by an Indian journalist regarding “hate speeches” by Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed was countered by Qureshi with an admonishment thinly disguised as a reproof. “Both sides agree that an environment free of negative propaganda needs to be created; when there’s mention of Hafiz Saeed, attention should also be paid to statements emanating from the other side. For example, the statement made by the Indian home secretary was uncalled for,” said Qureshi, referring to a remark by G.K. Pillai saying that the ISI was responsible for controlling and coordinating the Mumbai attacks. “Pakistan has not had – nor does it need to have – an apologetic attitude in talks with India,” asserted Qureshi.

To another question about Pakistan’s desire for strategic depth in Afghanistan, Qureshi said Islamabad wants a Pakistan-friendly government in Kabul. “A peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s interests.”

Krishna is to meet PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and ANP head Asfandyar Wali Khan today before he leaves for Delhi.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16th, 2010.

 

[sparklingway]

No progress reported​

Pakistan, India to continue talking No new dates for next round; J&K, Siachen torpedo talks​

Friday, July 16, 2010
By Mariana Baabar

ISLAMABAD: The bad news is that the Qureshi-Krishna talks produced nothing more than a promise of more talks, and the good news is that there were no surprises as nobody had expected any significant breakthrough anyway.

But there was still the little niggle of India’s intransigence that left a rather bad taste in diplomatic mouths as the long-awaited talks on Thursday collapsed, not for the sheer absence of the right momentum but because of India’s inflexibility to agree to outlining a specific roadmap for future talks wherein Pakistan wanted the inclusion of the issues of Jammu and Kashmir and the Siachen Glacier, as had been the case in the erstwhile Composite Dialogue, a phrase now abandoned in favour of the more open-ended sounding sustained dialogue, sired by the Mumbai incident.

“Pakistan was ready to accommodate all issues of mutual concern in the future roadmap for talks, but the Indian side was extremely inflexible, saying that they did not have the mandate to factor in for Jammu and Kashmir and the Siachen Glacier issues. In fact, they were ready to announce a roadmap without these three items, but this was not acceptable to Pakistan. A lot of progress had been made on these issues in the Composite Dialogue and it simply does not make any sense for the Indian side to play hardball on even their inclusion in a future talks agenda,” an official privy to the talks told The News.

This, officials say, was the reason for the extraordinary delay in the day-long talks, adding, “despite our best effort to convince the Indians, they would not agree, and we could not compromise on Jammu and Kashmir. We told them that since we are ready to accommodate all their concerns, then our issues of concern could not be ignored.”

Without mentioning this directly, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi did, however, remark, “There are issues which are of core importance to Pakistan and should be added and we have to discuss them. We have agreed the need to discuss them to make the process meaningful.”

That India had walked into these talks at the foreign minister’s level with no intention of chartering a future roadmap that would include all segments of the Composite Dialogue was clear from the statements that came from the Indian home secretary, blaming the ISI for the Mumbai attacks, and then the Indian minister for external affairs blaming Pakistan for all terrorist attacks in India.

Qureshi, in fact, pointed out to these statements and asked, “This statement coming from the Indian home secretary (against the ISI), on the eve of the dialogue. To what extent did it help? Both these opinions were uncalled for.”

He was speaking to the media at the Foreign Office together with his counterpart S M Krishna at a joint press conference.

The body language of the two ministers as they faced the media said it all. It was for the first time that one saw a very tense Qureshi, devoid of his traditional warm smile. Stress was written all over the faces of the two ministers who throughout kept a stiff upper lip to praise the other.

Without acknowledging that the talks had collapsed, Qureshi remarked, “In democracies politicians believe in dialogue and we will extract hope from hopelessness.” However, Krishna has extended an invitation to Qureshi to visit New Delhi, but no dates have been announced for what Pakistan says is a resumption of the dialogue process. It was announced that dates were being fixed for the two interior secretaries to meet.

The ministers said that all issues were discussed at the talks, with insiders saying that when Krishna went on and on about the Mumbai terror attacks, a time came when Qureshi politely pointed out that there were other issues also on the table.

Krishna said he was returning with assurances from the highest level that whatever Pakistan had conveyed to the Indian home minister, whatever leads were given after interrogation of Richard Headley, would ensure that Pakistan will carry on further investigations. “If Pakistan could unravel the conspiracy (of Mumbai), then perhaps this could be the biggest CBM”, said Krishna.

Qureshi said that Pakistan would not be found wanting in trying to unravel the Mumbai attacks. “When we talk of progress, we have to understand that courts are free and we cannot dictate to them. We have told the minister what kind of help we require to take our efforts forward. To move on, we need the magistrates and others who recorded Mr Kasab’s statements. Our judiciary is independent and we have to respect this. I agree we need a timeframe for forward movement,” said Qureshi, while replying to a query.

He added that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir was taken up at the dialogue. It was clear that unlike in the recent past, positions over Kashmir had hardened on both sides. “I received a letter from a Kashmir based organisation who wanted this issue highlighted. There are human rights violations, curfews and use of Indian armed forces resulting in loss of life. These are issues of concern for everyone included the elected government of Jammu and Kashmir”, said Qureshi.

Krishna said that it was for the elected government in Kashmir to maintain law and order. “We have a human rights commission and anyone is free to approach it,” he said. India’s interference in Balochistan also came under discussion with Krishna saying that Pakistan had failed to provide evidence till date. “Till now, not a shred of evidence has been given to us. If Pakistan gives us evidence, India will take responsibility,” he said as Qureshi heard him out silently. It may be recalled that only recently in his Geo TV interview with Mohammad Malick, the foreign minister had categorically stated that Pakistan was in possession of irrefutable evidence of India fomenting terrorism in Balochistan and said that instead of sharing this information with the media, the government would share it with India and other stakeholders at the relevant proper forums.

Krishna also complained of increased infiltration at the LoC which he claimed had gone up by 40%. Qureshi remarked that this was discussed and, “I reiterated Pakistan’s position that neither the government nor the intelligence agencies are involved. If there are individuals crossing, we will deal with them. There is already a mechanism in place where the two DGMOs talk to each other on a weekly basis and is the most appropriate forum.”

He also agreed that India’s complaints of speeches by Hafiz Saeed were discussed and India was concerned that this invited people to incite. “I do agree that both sides should create an enabling environment and not let the engagements be vitiated by such speeches. What about the press statement of the Indian home secretary on the eve of the dialogue. To what extent did this help. Both in my opinion were uncalled for,” said Qureshi. Pakistan says that the best way to deal with terrorism is to recognise it as a common enemy and adopt a common approach against this menace.

India says that Thursday’s talks enabled it to develop better understanding. “We are starting this journey while being cognizant of the complexities of the challenges,” said Krishna.

 

[sparklingway]

Development depends on friendly Pak-India ties: Zardari
Gilani says all political forces want cordial relations with India; Indian FM calls on president, PM​

Friday, July 16, 2010

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday that destinies of the people of both Pakistan and India and the development of the entire region lies in friendly, cooperative and good neighbourly relations between the two countries.

The president said this during a meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, who separately called on Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr and the PM Secretariat respectively on Thursday.

The Indian external affairs minister was accompanied by Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal.

From the Pakistani side, those who attended the meeting included Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Secretary General to the President M Salman Faruqui, Special Assistant to the PM Kamal Majidullah, Secretary to the President Malik Asif Hayat, Secretary Foreign Affairs Salman Bashir, Pakistan’s High Commissioner in India Shahid Malik and presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar.

The president, while appreciating the re-engagement between the two countries, said: “Heavy responsibility rests on both Pakistan and India to have sustained dialogue and steer our nations from conflictual path to a cooperative course for the uplift and welfare of the region and people of the two countries.”

He said the resumption of the Composite Dialogue would help remove the mistrust and restore confidence in relations between the two countries and would also help resolve all outstanding issues, including occupied Jammu and Kashmir, water, Sir Creek, Siachen, terrorism and other issues impeding the mutual cooperation.

He said the water issue was becoming serious as it had adverse impacts on our agriculture and added that the Indus Water Treaty should be fully honoured and implemented.

The president said that trade relations between the two countries would see a marked increase once the resumed dialogue process continued without any interruption.

While referring to Pakistan’s fight against extremism, he said terrorism was a common enemy and Pakistan was against militancy and terrorism in any form and in any location and both the governments needed to work more closely for eliminating this menace.

The president stressed for timely information and intelligence sharing between the two counties to prevent any incident of terrorism and violence and that “terror incidents do not affect our ties in the future”.

The Indian foreign minister also conveyed to the president greetings of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In his meeting with the Indian foreign affairs minister, Prime Minister Gilani said that his government was committed to having friendly, cooperative and good neighbourly relations with India and in this regard enjoyed full support of the whole spectrum of political forces. He stated that both Pakistan and India should get benefits from the existing environment of goodwill for fostering their relations and address all the outstanding issues between the two countries.

He said that he had personally invested in improving the relations with India as he was of the firm belief that it was the only way forward for peace and prosperity of both the countries as well as the whole South Asian region.

Gilani recalled his very cordial meetings with Dr Manmohan Singh in Sharm al-Shaikh, last year and again in Thimphu in April this year, as steps in the right direction.

He underlined the fact that it had been agreed in the Thimphu meeting that both sides would enter into discussions on all the issues of mutual concern and hence every dispute would be put on the table as part of the dialogue.

The prime minister said that Pakistan, being the foremost victim of terrorism, having lost tens of thousands of soldiers and common men, besides suffering tremendously in economic terms, was vigorously cooperating with the rest of the world to defeat the menace of terrorism.

Pakistan has accordingly taken serious and credible steps to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai incident to justice but it wants India to share with it credible and prosecutable evidence against the accused, to achieve that goal, he said.

He said Pakistan is also steadfastly pursuing the matters agreed between the interior and home ministers in their meeting in Islamabad, last month, as it considers terrorism as a common threat to both the countries. The evil designs of terrorists can only be defeated through continued dialogue between Pakistan and India, he added.

Prime Minister Gilani stated that while Pakistan stood by its commitments made in Thimphu and in the interior ministers’ meeting, the ball was now in court of India to take the peace process forward by resuming the dialogue on all the outstanding issues.

He called for increased exchanges by way of people-to-people contacts and parliamentarians’ visits to help bridge the trust gap between the two countries and suggested immediate release and repatriation of all the incarcerated fishermen and those prisoners who had already completed their sentences in each other’s countries.

The Indian external affairs minister stated that his visit was a part of the initiatives taken by the prime ministers of both the countries to resume a meaningful dialogue.

He agreed with the prime minister on the need to bridge the trust gap between both the countries and to enhance interaction between them at every level.

He said that despite the respective positions of both sides on certain issues, India will continue striving to reach for the mutually agreeable solutions of the irritants through dialogue. The talks between the two countries, he said, would pave the way forward to open up avenues for discussions in various fields.

 

[ejaz007]

No progress reported
Friday, July 16, 2010
Pakistan, India to continue talking No new dates for next round; J&K, Siachen torpedo talks

By Mariana Baabar

ISLAMABAD: The bad news is that the Qureshi-Krishna talks produced nothing more than a promise of more talks, and the good news is that there were no surprises as nobody had expected any significant breakthrough anyway.

But there was still the little niggle of India’s intransigence that left a rather bad taste in diplomatic mouths as the long-awaited talks on Thursday collapsed, not for the sheer absence of the right momentum but because of India’s inflexibility to agree to outlining a specific roadmap for future talks wherein Pakistan wanted the inclusion of the issues of Jammu and Kashmir and the Siachen Glacier, as had been the case in the erstwhile Composite Dialogue, a phrase now abandoned in favour of the more open-ended sounding sustained dialogue, sired by the Mumbai incident.

“Pakistan was ready to accommodate all issues of mutual concern in the future roadmap for talks, but the Indian side was extremely inflexible, saying that they did not have the mandate to factor in for Jammu and Kashmir and the Siachen Glacier issues. In fact, they were ready to announce a roadmap without these three items, but this was not acceptable to Pakistan. A lot of progress had been made on these issues in the Composite Dialogue and it simply does not make any sense for the Indian side to play hardball on even their inclusion in a future talks agenda,” an official privy to the talks told The News.

This, officials say, was the reason for the extraordinary delay in the day-long talks, adding, “despite our best effort to convince the Indians, they would not agree, and we could not compromise on Jammu and Kashmir. We told them that since we are ready to accommodate all their concerns, then our issues of concern could not be ignored.”

Without mentioning this directly, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi did, however, remark, “There are issues which are of core importance to Pakistan and should be added and we have to discuss them. We have agreed the need to discuss them to make the process meaningful.”

That India had walked into these talks at the foreign minister’s level with no intention of chartering a future roadmap that would include all segments of the Composite Dialogue was clear from the statements that came from the Indian home secretary, blaming the ISI for the Mumbai attacks, and then the Indian minister for external affairs blaming Pakistan for all terrorist attacks in India.

Qureshi, in fact, pointed out to these statements and asked, “This statement coming from the Indian home secretary (against the ISI), on the eve of the dialogue. To what extent did it help? Both these opinions were uncalled for.”

He was speaking to the media at the Foreign Office together with his counterpart S M Krishna at a joint press conference.

The body language of the two ministers as they faced the media said it all. It was for the first time that one saw a very tense Qureshi, devoid of his traditional warm smile. Stress was written all over the faces of the two ministers who throughout kept a stiff upper lip to praise the other.

Without acknowledging that the talks had collapsed, Qureshi remarked, “In democracies politicians believe in dialogue and we will extract hope from hopelessness.” However, Krishna has extended an invitation to Qureshi to visit New Delhi, but no dates have been announced for what Pakistan says is a resumption of the dialogue process. It was announced that dates were being fixed for the two interior secretaries to meet.

The ministers said that all issues were discussed at the talks, with insiders saying that when Krishna went on and on about the Mumbai terror attacks, a time came when Qureshi politely pointed out that there were other issues also on the table.

Krishna said he was returning with assurances from the highest level that whatever Pakistan had conveyed to the Indian home minister, whatever leads were given after interrogation of Richard Headley, would ensure that Pakistan will carry on further investigations. “If Pakistan could unravel the conspiracy (of Mumbai), then perhaps this could be the biggest CBM”, said Krishna.

Qureshi said that Pakistan would not be found wanting in trying to unravel the Mumbai attacks. “When we talk of progress, we have to understand that courts are free and we cannot dictate to them. We have told the minister what kind of help we require to take our efforts forward. To move on, we need the magistrates and others who recorded Mr Kasab’s statements. Our judiciary is independent and we have to respect this. I agree we need a timeframe for forward movement,” said Qureshi, while replying to a query.

He added that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir was taken up at the dialogue. It was clear that unlike in the recent past, positions over Kashmir had hardened on both sides. “I received a letter from a Kashmir based organisation who wanted this issue highlighted. There are human rights violations, curfews and use of Indian armed forces resulting in loss of life. These are issues of concern for everyone included the elected government of Jammu and Kashmir”, said Qureshi.

Krishna said that it was for the elected government in Kashmir to maintain law and order. “We have a human rights commission and anyone is free to approach it,” he said. India’s interference in Balochistan also came under discussion with Krishna saying that Pakistan had failed to provide evidence till date. “Till now, not a shred of evidence has been given to us. If Pakistan gives us evidence, India will take responsibility,” he said as Qureshi heard him out silently. It may be recalled that only recently in his Geo TV interview with Mohammad Malick, the foreign minister had categorically stated that Pakistan was in possession of irrefutable evidence of India fomenting terrorism in Balochistan and said that instead of sharing this information with the media, the government would share it with India and other stakeholders at the relevant proper forums.

Krishna also complained of increased infiltration at the LoC which he claimed had gone up by 40%. Qureshi remarked that this was discussed and, “I reiterated Pakistan’s position that neither the government nor the intelligence agencies are involved. If there are individuals crossing, we will deal with them. There is already a mechanism in place where the two DGMOs talk to each other on a weekly basis and is the most appropriate forum.”

He also agreed that India’s complaints of speeches by Hafiz Saeed were discussed and India was concerned that this invited people to incite. “I do agree that both sides should create an enabling environment and not let the engagements be vitiated by such speeches. What about the press statement of the Indian home secretary on the eve of the dialogue. To what extent did this help. Both in my opinion were uncalled for,” said Qureshi. Pakistan says that the best way to deal with terrorism is to recognise it as a common enemy and adopt a common approach against this menace.

India says that Thursday’s talks enabled it to develop better understanding. “We are starting this journey while being cognizant of the complexities of the challenges,” said Krishna.

No progress reported

 

[Aslan]

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Friday that India's “selective” approach to issues has led to what analysts say is a stalemate in talks aimed to build trust shattered by the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Qureshi and his Indian counterpart S M Krishna met in Islamabad on Thursday and agreed on more talks but failed to announce any concrete measures that might soothe tensions between the neighbours.

“I could see from yesterday's talks that they want to be selective. When they say all issues are on the table then they cannot, they should not, be selective,” Qureshi told reporters after attending a ceremony for new diplomats in Islamabad.

“Progress in talks can only be possible if we move forward on all issues in tandem.”

He said that there had been no resistance from the Pakistani side in the talks.

Security remains India's top concern after the attack on Mumbai by a Pakistan-based militant group, which killed 166 people.

After Thursday's talks, Krishna repeated New Delhi's call for Islamabad to speed up efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.

India blames the Lashkar-i-Taiba (LT) militants for the attacks, and in remarks published in an Indian newspaper on Wednesday, Indian Home Secretary G K Pillai accused Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), of orchestrating the assault.

India has linked the re-launching of peace talks between the two South Asian rivals with Pakistan's action against the perpetrators of the attack.

But Qureshi warned against India's attitude.

“If we give heed to those issues which they consider important and those issues in which Pakistan is interested are neglected then things cannot move forward,” he said.

“They have to sit with an open mind and we have to move forward with an open heart.”

Pakistan wants discussions on other issues, including its core dispute with India over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, the cause of two of the three wars between the two countries since independence from Britain in 1947.

"Pakistan is going through difficult times due to terrorism...however, we cannot remain dissociated from the human rights abuses in Indian-administered Kashmir," Qureshi said.

"Politics and dialogue should not lead to deadlock...but India was not ready for dialogue...short-sightedness will not help in resolve the issues," he said.

“Pakistan is still ready for talks with India but will wait for a sign from India….we’re ready to engage. We're ready for negotiations anytime, anywhere but we're not in hurry,” Qureshi said.

Analysts say India wants to use the issue of terrorism as a way to keep international pressure on Pakistan.

“They have come to a conclusion that everything is being done against them by the ISI and that policy is not going to change unless there's total pressure,” political and security analyst Hassan Askari Rizvi said.

But he feared that this policy would favour the cause of al-Qaeda-linked militants who want instability in the region.

“That's what militants want: That India and Pakistan should not be on good terms and if they're on good terms there will be pressure on militants,” he said.

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | India was not ready for dialogue, says FM Qureshi


A very disappointing approach by the GOI, they themselves dont want the issues to be resolved. And the irony some indian had the audacity to call Pakistani establishment a circus.


Also what is not mentioned in the above article is that what was also mentioned live by Quraishi that the indian FM was taking dictations from Dehli for every thing. Come on, why even bother to come if your clowns are not serious about the whole thing. Yesterday I was very annoyed by our FM for not taking the indain fm to task when he was spewing his gibberish. But after the press conference of his it became very obvious that why did he chose to stay quite. After all there is only so much reason you can do with some one who is living in an illusion of his own creating.

 

[azeemfslbd]

m not surprised.... pakistan comes to peace talks with intention but opposite case for india.... SO TYPICAL !!

 

[Spitfighter]

Pakistan and India foreign ministers in diplomatic spat


Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi (right) and his Indian counterpart SM Krishna turn away after their joint news conference in Islamabad on 15 July 2010 Thursday's talks were the foreign ministers' first meeting since 2008

Pakistan's foreign minister has criticised the behaviour of his Indian counterpart during Thursday's high-profile talks in Islamabad.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters on Friday SM Krishna and his delegation had not been ready for dialogue.

He also suggested Mr Krishna had repeatedly interrupted the talks to take phone calls from Delhi.

Mr Krishna denied the "extraordinary" claims. It was the foreign ministers' first bilateral meeting since 2008.

It was also the third high-level contact between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours in six months.
'Not mentally prepared'

Talks broke off in 2008 after the Mumbai (Bombay) attacks - when Islamist gunmen killed more than 160 people - which Pakistan later admitted had been partly planned on its soil.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

I never used any telephone, it's an extraordinary statement to make”

End Quote SM Krishna Indian External Affairs Minister

Ahead of the meeting, Indian Home Secretary GK Pillai was quoted by an Indian newspaper as accusing Pakistan's powerful intelligence agency of co-ordinating the carnage in Mumbai.

The two foreign ministers said at a joint news conference on Thursday that their meeting had been "constructive", and agreed to meet again.

But a new picture emerged on Friday as Mr Qureshi told a news briefing: "India is not mentally prepared to engage in a dialogue".

He said his Indian opposite number had "received foreign policy directions from New Delhi repeatedly during our meeting".

"The Indian delegation had not prepared its agenda for the talks," he added.

Mr Qureshi also accused India of being "selective" and "narrowing the dialogue".

He said India had refused to talk about Kashmir, saying: "It is not possible to de-link Kashmir from the negotiations."
'Scoring debating points'

India regards Kashmir as an inalienable part of India. The northern territory has been the cause of two out of the three wars between India and Pakistan since they were partitioned in 1947.

Mr Qureshi also accused the Indian delegation of refusing to discuss another bone of contention, the strategically important Siachen glacier.
Kashmiri Muslims protest against Indian rule in Srinagar on 16 July 2010 In recent weeks, 14 civilians have died in security force shootings in Kashmir

But in a news conference upon arrival at a Delhi airport, Mr Krishna hit back, denying he had taken policy guidance by phone during the meeting.

"I was totally cut off from India," he said. "I never used any telephone. It's an extraordinary statement to make."

"I will not score debating points over Foreign Minister Qureshi," he added. "I would like to concentrate on serious issues."

Mr Krishna also denied his delegation had not been ready for the meeting, saying: "India was fully prepared. Our mandate was clear, there was no ambiguity."

Meanwhile, police in Indian-administered Kashmir re-imposed a curfew on Friday in the summer capital, Srinagar, and several other towns across the valley.

The move came after separatist groups called for anti-India protests.

In recent weeks, 14 civilians have died in incidents involving shootings by police and paramilitary forces.

BBC News - Pakistan and India foreign ministers in diplomatic spat

Personally I don't understand what else we could talk about besides terrorism at this point. India will not move forward on any outstanding issues until and unless we see some concrete action against terrorist organizations like LeT and JuD. The ball is in Pakistan's court, as always.

 

[somebozo]

With SM Krishna passing on nothing but accusation of "yeh hua tha" "woh hua tha" then he get into a bizzar move of jumping on stage and start mimickin arif lohar with "song of mumbai" hence such stalemate was expected to happen.

I think we should just breakaway from India and decide to ignore them. We have friends like China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey which can assist us enough diplomatically. Leave Kashmir as status quo for next fifty years. And systematically work to build our own influence around the world, betterment of living conditions, energy and security challenges.

India will never stop barking its accusations and rehotric of "atoot ang". Their atoot ang policy will bring another partition of India upon them. Because they will continue to view Pakistan as its break away region under the "atoot ang" policy. Its our high time to fix our political mess and put the country of development track. In next 30-40 years, indian politics will be dominated by "taliban" equivalent of hindu radicals which would result in its own balkanization.

 

[karan.1970]

Exactly on the expected lines. Pakistan wants to talk about Kashmir.. India says ..No can Do... wasted jet fuel to Islamabad along with time on both sides.. Back to business now....

 

[Devil Soul]

Kashmir can't be excluded from Indo-Pak talks: Qureshi
PTI, Jul 16, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Accusing India of being "selective" in its approach, Pakistan said the dialogue cannot move forward till its concerns were also understood by New Delhi.

"If we focus more only on those issues which India gives importance to and ignore those considered important by Pakistan, then I don't think the talks can move forward," Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters here.

However, he said he would not call his yesterday's talks with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna a "deadlock".

"There are difficulties and we need to find a way to handle them," Qureshi said, adding "we are ready to engage, we are ready to negotiate any time, anywhere and we are not in a hurry. We will wait till they are ready".

He said Pakistan wanted a roadmap for the future as an outcome of the talks but the Indian side felt they did not have the mandate to make such a commitment.

"India was narrowing the dialogue and we said you cannot be selective," Qureshi said.

"We understand India's concerns and want to address them. But Pakistan also has its concerns and core issues which should be understood by India," he said.

Taking a dig at Krishna, Qureshi said the "Indian Foreign Minister received foreign policy directions from New Delhi repeatedly during our meeting".

On his part, the Pakistan Foreign Minister said he did not step out of the talks to "attend any phone calls".

"Pakistan is ready for talks but dialogue should be substantive, meaningful and result-oriented. Pakistan's people and Kashmiris cannot be delinked from the situation in Jammu and Kashmir," Qureshi said.

"There will not be any hitch from Pakistan side. I am ready to negotiate on any issue," Qureshi added.

Seeking to blame India for the "last-minute hitch" in talks, Quershi said New Delhi appeared to be unwilling to commit to a roadmap for future engagement.

He said it would not make sense to discuss aspects like cultural and trade relations while ignoring "core" issues like Jammu and Kashmir, peace and security and Siachen.

"It is the nature of India-Pakistan talks that whenever there is progress, there is always a last minute hitch. There was no hitch from Pakistan's side," he said.

Qureshi contended that India was "narrowing the dialogue" and Pakistan had made it clear that "you cannot be selective in discussions".

The issues between India and Pakistan were already identified and part of the eight segments of the composite dialogue that had continued for four years, he said.

"If they want to confine those issues, it becomes difficult for Pakistan," he said.
Kashmir can't be excluded from Indo-Pak talks: Qureshi - India - The Times of India

 

[Hutchroy]

Exactly on the expected lines. Pakistan wants to talk about Kashmir.. India says ..No can Do... wasted jet fuel to Islamabad along with time on both sides.. Back to business now....

I beg to diffr.

I think that the Government of India and its Ministers, Political Leaders etc. have realised that the Indian Public - who vote them into office - are not going to be mollified until there is a "proper" punishment of the Pakistani Terrorists, I agree that they are "Non-State Actors", before India can move ahead to normalise its relations with Pakistan.

The Indian Leadership is thus unable to fulfil Pakistani Leadership's Demands.

As such let us wait and see which way “the ball bounces”.

 

[Gene]

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Friday that India's “selective” approach to issues has led to what analysts say is a stalemate in talks aimed to build trust shattered by the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Qureshi and his Indian counterpart S M Krishna met in Islamabad on Thursday and agreed on more talks but failed to announce any concrete measures that might soothe tensions between the neighbours.

“I could see from yesterday's talks that they want to be selective. When they say all issues are on the table then they cannot, they should not, be selective,” Qureshi told reporters after attending a ceremony for new diplomats in Islamabad.

“Progress in talks can only be possible if we move forward on all issues in tandem.”

He said that there had been no resistance from the Pakistani side in the talks.

Security remains India's top concern after the attack on Mumbai by a Pakistan-based militant group, which killed 166 people.

After Thursday's talks, Krishna repeated New Delhi's call for Islamabad to speed up efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.

India blames the Lashkar-i-Taiba (LT) militants for the attacks, and in remarks published in an Indian newspaper on Wednesday, Indian Home Secretary G K Pillai accused Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), of orchestrating the assault.

India has linked the re-launching of peace talks between the two South Asian rivals with Pakistan's action against the perpetrators of the attack.

But Qureshi warned against India's attitude.

“If we give heed to those issues which they consider important and those issues in which Pakistan is interested are neglected then things cannot move forward,” he said.

“They have to sit with an open mind and we have to move forward with an open heart.”

Pakistan wants discussions on other issues, including its core dispute with India over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, the cause of two of the three wars between the two countries since independence from Britain in 1947.

"Pakistan is going through difficult times due to terrorism...however, we cannot remain dissociated from the human rights abuses in Indian-administered Kashmir," Qureshi said.

"Politics and dialogue should not lead to deadlock...but India was not ready for dialogue...short-sightedness will not help in resolve the issues," he said.

“Pakistan is still ready for talks with India but will wait for a sign from India….we’re ready to engage. We're ready for negotiations anytime, anywhere but we're not in hurry,” Qureshi said.

Analysts say India wants to use the issue of terrorism as a way to keep international pressure on Pakistan.

“They have come to a conclusion that everything is being done against them by the ISI and that policy is not going to change unless there's total pressure,” political and security analyst Hassan Askari Rizvi said.

But he feared that this policy would favour the cause of al-Qaeda-linked militants who want instability in the region.

“That's what militants want: That India and Pakistan should not be on good terms and if they're on good terms there will be pressure on militants,” he said.

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | India was not ready for dialogue, says FM Qureshi


A very disappointing approach by the GOI, they themselves dont want the issues to be resolved. And the irony some indian had the audacity to call Pakistani establishment a circus.


]Also what is not mentioned in the above article is that what was also mentioned live by Quraishi that the indian FM was taking dictations from Dehli for every thing. Come on, why even bother to come if your clowns are not serious about the whole thing. Yesterday I was very annoyed by our FM for not taking the indain fm to task when he was spewing his gibberish. But after the press conference of his it became very obvious that why did he chose to stay quite. After all there is only so much reason you can do with some one who is living in an illusion of his own creating.[/COLOR]

The Indian delegation led by Mr krishna has clear mandate about the issues to be discussed.the main issues to be discussed were to be the 26/11 issues & the issues of terrorism.

Mr Qureshi seems to be in hurry !!!! the bilateral discussion are just started.so,why is the hurry to jump to all the issues.first measures should taken for a better environment for discussion & trust building.

Mr pillai’s accusations are not baseless.this report was made after recent interrogation of D.headly by NIA team in US,where D.headly gave some crucial evidence against ISI in relation to mumbai attack.

yes..,that's true & also is that,for a proper and meaningful discussion there should a trust within each others commitment.pakistan should be stick to its commitment of not allowing its territory for any kind of terrorist activity against india.

This statement made by Mr Qureshi shows his is ill diplomacy.
Mr krishna confirmed here in the press conference just after his arrival to india that "he never call back to Delhi,or received any call from delhi during the meeting."

& apart from this he also gave an example that there is nothing wrong to be in touch with base camp,delegation do this to keep themselves updated.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

I beg to diffr.

I think that the Government of India and its Ministers, Political Leaders etc. have realised that the Indian Public - who vote them into office - are not going to be mollified until there is a "proper" punishment of the Pakistani Terrorists, I agree that they are "Non-State Actors", before India can move ahead to normalise its relations with Pakistan.

The Indian Leadership is thus unable to fulfil Pakistani Leadership's Demands.

As such let us wait and see which way “the ball bounces”.

On that token, as the Pakistani Foreign Minister pointed out, the trial of the alleged 'masterminds' is proceeding, and India cannot impose 'deadlines' on the Pakistani judicial process, and neither can the GoP (which is fighting its own battles with the courts, rather unsuccessfully).

From the GoP's perspective, the Pakistani public is not going to look at any peace process sans dialog on the major conflicts and disputes between the two nations as 'meaningful'. Since the GoP cannot impose its will on the courts, the judicial process will take as long as it takes, and at the end of it India loses her excuse of 'complete the trial of the accused', and will either have to find another excuse to avoid dialog, or get down to discussing Kashmir, Siachen and the other issues. Since dialog on those issues is essential, from the Pakistani perspective, it might as well start now, since those issues will have to come on the table sooner or later.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

He also agreed that India’s complaints of speeches by Hafiz Saeed were discussed and India was concerned that this invited people to incite. “I do agree that both sides should create an enabling environment and not let the engagements be vitiated by such speeches. What about the press statement of the Indian home secretary on the eve of the dialogue. To what extent did this help. Both in my opinion were uncalled for,” said Qureshi.

Way to go Qureishi!

I believe even some of the Indian posters on this forum acknowledged that the statements by Pillai on the eve of the talks were unhelpful, and as I argued, such statements promote anti-Pakistan hatred by vilifying and denigrating Pakistan without any evidence, and therefore play a similar role to 'Hafiz Saeed's hate speech', except that this 'hate speech' has a far wider audience than Hafiz Saeed does.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Threads merged. Post all news and discussion related to the Foreign Ministers meeting here please.