Mumbai-hit India, Pakistan talks get a chance in Dhaka

The Mumbai blasts may have hit the India-Pakistan peace process for the moment but New Delhi isn’t closing the dialogue doors in a hurry.

The Mumbai blasts may have hit the India-Pakistan peace process for the moment but New Delhi isn’t closing the dialogue doors in a hurry. Despite the formal interaction being called off after Terrible Tuesday, Foreign Secretaries of both countries will meet each other on July 31-August 1.

This will be on the margins of the SAARC Ministerial meeting in Dhaka slated for August 2, which will be attended by Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed from the Indian side. Foreign Secretaries of all member states will, however, meet a day in advance. On the sidelines, Shyam Saran will meet Pakistan counterpart Riaz Muhammad Khan.

It’s learnt that Ahamed is also likely to meet Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri on the margins. These are clear indications that given the manner in which the peace process has evolved, India is not in favour of freezing the process because of the blasts.

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However, sources said, terror will dominate the agenda of talks with India planning to make it clear to Pakistan that it must adhere to the commitment made in January 2004 to not let its territory be used by terror groups targeting India.

South Block is of the view that the thinking behind the peace process was to set in motion a set of irreversible steps. The numerous CBMs and the different channels of dialogue are an outcome of this thinking. India is clear that it does not want this to be damaged.