India, Pak to resume talks

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi will hold parleys the next day, on May 21, to review the progress made in the discussions.

The composite dialogue, which has made significant progress since it was launched in 2004, had been stalled for several months due to political turmoil in Pakistan.

The two sides concluded talks under the fourth round of composite dialogue in October last year. However, the Foreign Secretary-level talks to wrap up the fourth round of talks and launch the fifth round could not take place due to the political situation in Pakistan.

At the meeting next month, the two sides will review the progress made on all eight issues under the fourth round of composite dialogue and set the timeline for the fifth round.

Mukherjee and Qureshi had last week, through a telephonic conversation, decided that the dialogue process should be resumed at the earliest.

After the Government headed by Yousuf Raza Gillani assumed office in Pakistan last month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had conveyed a desire for transforming the bilateral ties into the 8220;best ever8221;.

Noting that an 8220;opportunity8221; had come for transforming the bilateral relations, he had hoped the new Pakistani leadership would work with India in putting the 8220;past behind8221; for 8220;enduring peace8221; and collective prosperity of the two countries.

Singh said he saw a 8220;ray of hope8221; as he noted that the leaders of main political parties in Pakistan, in their first pronouncements after the elections, had spoken of their interest in developing close relations and working with India to bring about durable peace.

The PM had hoped that the two countries would work expeditiously towards 8220;agreed solutions of pending issues8221;.

Singh hoped Gillani would build on the initiatives taken by the then Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif as also President Pervez Musharraf to improve the bilateral relations.