Kashmir will be in focus during Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary level talks: Rao
Mon, Feb 22 08:45 PM
London, Feb.22 (ANI): Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao on Monday said that Kashmir will be in focus during her talks with Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir on February 25.
Addressing a press conference after delivering an address at the 3rd MEA-IISS Seminar on "Perspectives on Foreign Policy for a 21st Century India", Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said: "In the secretary-level talks, Kashmir would be an essential focus on the discussion. This is something we should discuss bilaterally and resolve peacefully and that has always been like that."
However, Ms. Rao refused to speculate about the likely outcome of the talks before it actually gets underway.
Earlier, during her address Ms. Rao said: "Our relationship with Pakistan is complex. Out of our desire for peaceful and good-neighbourly relations with Pakistan, we have repeatedly taken initiatives in the past to improve the relationship."
Referring specifically to the issue of terrorism, Ms. Rao said: "You are aware that the dark forces of terrorism sought to erase the good that stemmed from such well-intentioned initiatives. We are now making another attempt of dialogue with Pakistan. However, calls of jihad, hostility and aggression continue to be made openly against India. This reflects the real and tangible difficulties that we face in dealing with Pakistan. If the process of normalization that we desire with Pakistan, is to be sustained and taken forward, effective action against such groups by the Government of Pakistan is an absolute must."
Speaking about Pakistan's recent steps and approach against terrorists, Ms. Rao said: "Under pressure and faced with the threat of terrorism in its own country, Pakistan has initiated some steps to fight this scourge. But these steps are selective. Distinctions between Taliban, Al Qaeda and terrorist outfits such as LeT are now meaningless, since they are now in effect fused both operationally and ideologically."
"We have consistently maintained that Pakistan should bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attack to justice expeditiously and in a transparent manner. It should act decisively to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism on its territory," Ms. Rao added.
Ms. Rao said that India is making another sincere attempt to initiate dialogue with Pakistan. "I have invited my counterpart, the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan to Delhi for discussions later this week. 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." By Cynthia Chandran (ANI).