Bringing in thaw in bilateral relations, Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan on Thursday agreed to resume dialogue at the level of Foreign Ministers soon that could lead to parleys on all outstanding issues like terrorism, Kashmir and Siachen.
The ice was broken at a 90-minute meeting here between Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani in their first substantive engagement after their discussions in Sharm-el- Sheikh in Egypt in July last year that produced a controversial joint statement.
The meeting in 'Bhutan House' on the margins of SAARC Summit discussed the entire range of issues, including terrorism and progress of investigation and probe into 26/11 attacks in Pakistan.
The two Prime Ministers entrusted the Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries with the responsibility of restoring confidence and trust in the relations that could pave the way for substantive dialogue on outstanding issues of mutual concern.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said Singh emphatically told Pakistan that it has to act on the issue of terrorism and that the "terror machine" in that country needs to be eliminated.
Singh conveyed "deep and continuing concern" over the fact that 26/11 mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed was being allowed to roam freely and "engage in language and communications that are certainly not conducive to the atmosphere of peace and stability", she said.
Gilani assured Singh that his government was making all efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks and not to allow Pakistani soil to be used for terrorism against India. Both sides termed as "positive", "cordial", "very friendly" and "free and frank" the discussions between the Prime Ministers, which went beyond the slated 45 minutes.
The one-on-one meeting lasted an hour and the delegation-level parleys went on for 30 minutes. While there was no joint statement, separate press conferences of Rao and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had similar tone and tenor.
Singh "emphasised to Prime Minister Gilani various issues that cause concern to India -- issues relating to terrorism, rise in infiltration and slow progress in the trial of Mumbai attack perpetrators".
Rao said Singh told Gilani that India is willing to discuss all issues of concern with Pakistan and to resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue "but that the issue of terrorism is holding back progress." She said the meeting was "an exercise in mutual comprehension because there is lack of mutual trust in the relationship impeding the process of normalisation."
The meeting assessed the reasons for the current state of affairs between the two countries and "to think afresh on the way forward", the Foreign Secretary said.
"They (Prime Ministers) agreed that relations between the two countries should be normalised and the channels of contact should work effectively to enlarge the constituency of peace in both countries," Rao said.
"The two Prime Ministers had agreed earlier that dialogue is the only way forward. They reiterated that commitment.
They not only reiterated but the two Prime Ministers had agreed to resume dialogue process between India and Pakistan that remained suspended for so many months. That is a very positive development," Qureshi said. "It was a very positive meeting. It is a step in the right direction," Qureshi said. He said both the leaders agreed that dialogue is the only way forward. There was lot of "soul-searching" and "confluence of thoughts", Rao said while describing the meeting as a process to understand the state of affairs and charting out a course forward, "while not abandoning the past".
On the response of Gilani to the concerns raised by Singh, Rao said the "Pakistani Prime Minister shared his perception on these issues in a candid manner and said Pakistan is serious about prosecuting the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks and that all efforts were being made to bring the trial of these individuals to a speedy conclusion."
Rao said Gilani also assured the Prime Minister that Pakistan will not allow its territory to be used for terrorist activities directed against India. Asked whether outcome of Singh-Gilani meeting would pave the way for resumption of composite dialogue, she said "I don't think we have to get stuck with nomenclatures".
She said both sides agreed that dialogue is the only way forward and it was essential to open channels of communication.
Rao added that there was a need to restore trust and build mutual confidence On the issue of Saeed, Gilani said there are some difficulties as far as their judicial system was concerned in tackling such issues.
"We expressed the hope that their laws to deal with such issues could be strengthen in times to come," the Foreign Secretary said.
She said both sides have agreed that the Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries will take this process forward now this process of try to build more trust and confidence in the relationship and address all issue of mutual concern.
However, she said no modalities have been worked so far. "Both sides have agreed to meet as soon as possible. We have not fixed any dates so far," she said. "The instructions of Prime Minister is that the Foreign Minister and Foreign Secretaries should meet as soon as possible," Rao said, adding that the "focus is charting the course forward.
That definitely is the message from today's meeting...Searchlight is really on the future and not on the past." "Our concerns about terrorism remains very much on the agenda," Rao said when asked if India is delinking terror from dialogue. Qureshi said the Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries have been asked "to meet as soon as possible and meet as frequently as possible." PTI
