Pakistan on Thursday said there are no pre-conditions on either side for the proposed Foreign Secretary-level talks, indicating its readiness for parleys with India later this month. "Let's not get into specifics. At this stage it is important to remember that there are no pre-conditions on either side," Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit told reporters.
He was asked whether there has been a climbdown since Pakistan has been insisting that nothing short of a composite dialogue will be accepted. India has proposed talks between Foreign Secretaries Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir to be held on either February 18 or 25.
"We are yet to respond to India's suggestion but whenever the meeting takes place, we have to discuss all issues that are of importance to us. We strongly believe that with pre-conditions, we can't have a dialogue," Basit said. Basit's remarks came hours after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani accused India of trying to sidestep Kashmir issue, saying "In fact, they (India) do not want to talk about Kashmir."
Gilani also made it clear that the Indo-Pak composite dialogue, covering eight issues including Kashmir and stalled since the Mumbai terror attacks, is the "only way forward". India had suspended the composite dialogue in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and linked resumption of talks with dismantling of terror infrastructure in Pakistan and punishing those behind the attacks.
"We look forward to engaging with India in a meaningful and result-oriented dialogue. We hope that the two countries will be able to discuss all issues that bedevil our relations," said Basit. Asked whether the Kashmir issue would be part of the talks, he said, "this is what we hope for." Appearing to favour February 25 for the talks, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said it was "not a bad date".
"I believe we should move forward. Common sense states that talks should be held as soon as possible," Qureshi said. "What is important is that we start talking. Of course we feel that these talks should be to re-start the composite dialogue and take it up from where we left off. After all, all the issues that both sides want to raise are included in the composite dialogue," he said in interviews to Pakistani media.
Pakistan would approach the talks with an open mind, said Qureshi, who chaired an inter-ministerial meeting yesterday to assess the Indian proposal and formulate Pakistan's response. "When we engage with India again, we will reiterate our position. Besides that, the engagement should be irreversible and produce results. One hopes that this time around, India would not backtrack and allow the composite dialogue process to move forward in a meaningful manner." India has said it will raise its serious concerns on terrorism emanating from Pakistan during the talks. PTI
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