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May 14, 2008
Terrorism Back
at Centre-stage
of India-Pakistan Talks
by Pranay
Sharma
New Delhi
The synchronized bomb blasts Tuesday in Jaipur, preceded by an
attack at the Samba garrison in Jammu and Kashmir two days earlier,
has brought back "terrorism" to the centre-stage of India-Pakistan
talks scheduled for next week.
"There is no doubt that terrorism will now be at the centre-stage of
the forthcoming talks," highly placed official sources in South
Block told IANS Wednesday.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will travel to Islamabad
May 21 for talks with his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Shah
Mehmood Qureshi. The foreign secretaries of the two countries will
meet a day before their meeting to review the progress made in the
fourth round of what they call their "Composite Dialogue."
Jammu and Kashmir and terrorism are among the eight issues in the
dialogue framework between the two countries. But latest
developments in Jaipur and Samba have ensured that the issue of
terrorism dominates the forthcoming dialogue between the two sides.
This will be the first formal engagement between India and Pakistan
since the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led coalition government came
to power in Islamabad in March this year.
India has spoken about "foreign hand" behind the Jaipur blasts. But
so far, it has refrained from naming Pakistan or any other country
for the attack that killed at least 60 people and injured over
hundred. Indian authorities fear the death toll might rise.
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and the Pakistani Prime Minister
Yousaf Raza Gilani have condemned the Jaipur blasts as have many
other leaders in the world.
Till now, there is nothing to indicate that the Jaipur blasts have
jeopardized Mukherjee's visit to Pakistan. The sources said the
meetings between the two foreign ministers and the foreign
secretaries of the two countries will be held as per schedule. But
at the meetings, India will want to have a meaningful discussion
with Pakistan on the issue of terrorism and what it calls
"infiltration" across the border.
Defence Minister A. K. Anthony Tuesday told newsmen that
"infiltration" across the border in Jammu and Kashmir was on the
rise. Though he maintained that attempts of "enemies" to thwart the
peace process.
"Till April by and large this year, infiltration has been under
control. Now again serious attempts have started," Anthony told
reporters in Hussainiwala in Punjab after he returned from a visit
to a forward base along the international border.
Antony spoke a few hours before the bombings shook Jaipur.
India knows that some of the attempts by militants to enter India
from across the border and the terror groups operating in this
country have links in Pakistan. But it has not yet been able to say
for sure whether much of these linkages were being maintained with
or without the patronage of the Pakistani establishment. There are
serious problems within the ruling coalition in Islamabad since
Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (N) has decided to pull out
its ministers from the PPP-led government.
The new dispensation in Islamabad has identified improved relations
with India as one of its priority areas. But fast paced domestic
developments have not allowed it the time to focus attention on
possible additional steps that can help in improving ties with
India.
"India is committed to the peace process and improving ties with
Pakistan," sources in the foreign ministry said. "But we expect
Pakistan to be mindful of our concerns over terrorism and
infiltration from across the border."
May 14, 2008
IANS | Top
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