India-Pak: Green shoots of recovery

PM Manmohan Singh and his Pak counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani are expected to register 'incremental' progress in bilateral engagement when they hold talks on Thursday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pak counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani are expected to register incremental progress in bilateral engagement when they hold talks tomorrow,hoping to put the terror-battered relationship back on track as Islamabad indicated that its considering other action against Lashkar founder Hafiz Saeed.

Signals from both countries on the sidelines of the NAM summit here was one of cautious optimism.

Gilani told the summit there was forward movement between the two countries.

He mentioned the Kashmir dispute among issues that needed to be addressed,but India sought to play it down. Foreign Secretary S S Menon said Indias position on Kashmir was well-known,but the context in which Gilani raised it also needed to be considered.

Separately,Singh,in his speech,referred to terrorism but without naming Pakistan or the Mumbai attack. In recent years,terrorist groups have become more sophisticated,more organized and more daring. Terrorists and those who aid and abet them must be brought to justice, he said.

Indian sources said Singh and Gilani could jointly address the media after their meeting,or at least issue a statement signaling progress.

Menon,who met his Pak counterpart Salman Bashir for 90 minutes last night and described the meeting as good and detailed,said he and Bashir met two or three times today. There was also a brief meeting between Menon and Gilani in the corridors.

Story continues below this ad

New Delhi would be happy if Islamabad took the same kind of action against anti-India terrorist groups in Pakistan as its taking against those on its western frontier,Menon said.

However,India is still not in a position to judge whether the 36-page dossier given by Pakistan on Saturday night on the action it has taken in connection with the Mumbai attack is credible. Menon said the dossier contains details about the five men arrested by Pakistani agencies in connection with 26/11 and nine proclaimed offenders,and that they are being hunted. There is a mention of some other men Pakistan is searching for possible links to the attack,he added.

Menon said his interlocutors had talked about Pakistan considering other action against Lashkar founder Saeed after the government of Pakistans Punjab province decided not to appeal against a Supreme Court ruling freeing him from jail. But India,Menon said,was still looking for clarity on this.