Stage being set for an India-Pak thaw in Thimphu

Hoping that there’s no extraordinarily provocative remark — or political activity — across the border,India is looking to deliver a message of engagement to Islamabad. The view at the highest level is that for India to get cooperation on the terror front,opening channels of conversation is vital.

The other crucial issue would be India’s position on the Samjhauta Express blast probe. Pakistan will raise it,and the Indian line,as of now,is to say that — first,this is evidence that India is objective in its investigations and does not distinguish when it comes to terrorism; and second,to admit that initial leads do indicate involvement of Hindu terror groups,but insist that the probe is far from over. When Home Minister P Chidambaram visited Pakistan last year,the official line was that the Samjhauta attack may have been the handiwork of Islamic extremists.

India will demand similar transparency from Pakistan on the 26/11 trials and seek a response on its request for sending its own commission there. Both sides are likely to Stage being set for India-Pak thaw in Thimphu agree that this conversation be carried forward by their Home Secretaries.

In effect,on the table this time is an improvement from what was on offer when External Affairs Minister S M Krishna visited Islamabad last July. Besides Home Secretary-level talks,it’s reliably learnt that New Delhi is willing to hold Defence Secretary-level talks on Siachen as well as Sir Creek,which may become a separate discussion at the Additional Secretary-level.

Further,India is said to be willing to hold a separate conversation on Kashmir between the Foreign Secretaries. This apart,the proposed set of conversations include meeting of Commerce Secretaries to discuss trade,investment and economic cooperation; Culture Secretaries to discuss ways to promote friendly exchanges and Water Resources Secretaries to discuss issues arising out of differences on sharing of river waters.

While much of this resembles the Composite Dialogue,sources said,this cannot be avoided given that these are the issues between India and Pakistan which need to be covered whatever the format. What India has told Pakistan is to not insist on a calendar and that New Delhi would prefer to move from the less contentious issues to the more difficult subjects in an incremental fashion.

If that’s not acceptable,sources said,India would first prefer to hold the conversation on terrorism. These issues on sequencing the engagement process will be an important segment of the talks between Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistan counterpart Salman Bashir. The two,officials said,have been in touch in the run-up to the talks.

The other key issue before officials would be on the timing of Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s visit to India. The first option would be to have a follow-up visit immediately after these talks at Thimphu. Given that Krishna’s calendar is stretched and Parliament would be in session by February third week,an alternative could be to have the visit a few months later and slot some of the Secretary-level talks in between.

On this call,sources said,would depend the other decision — whether to fully announce the outcomes at Thimphu or not.