Indo-Pak Foreign Secys meet in Islamabad today
New Delhi: India and Pakistani foreign secretaries are to meet today to work out the agenda for the Foreign Ministers talks in July that could eventually pave the way to a return to dialogue between the two countries.
Step by step, the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan are trying to rebuild trust demolished by the Mumbai attacks. On Thursday, India’s Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao meets her counterpart Salman Bashir for the third time since 26/11, but says Mumbai will still be uppermost on her mind. Sources tell CNN-IBN, the talks between the foreign secretaries on Thursday and the home secretaries on Friday will include discussions on:
1. Terror and how to build trust post Mumbai.
2. India's demand for action against LeT founder Hafiz Saeed.
3. Kashmir and cross LOC confidence building measures.
4. Humanitarian issues, people to people contact.
5. And Making preparations for Foreign Ministers’ meetings on July 15.
While the foreign secretaries' talks are meant to set the agenda for the Foreign ministers visit in July, the terms of their engagement will have a more immediate impact on the visit just a day later on Friday when Home Minister P Chidambaram becomes the first Indian political leader to visit Pakistan since the Mumbai attacks.
During his meetings with his Pakistani counterpart Redman Mali and other Pakistani leaders on Friday and Saturday, Chidambaram is expected to do some straight talking asking Pakistan for specific action in the 26-11 investigation, but also to discuss ways of sharing real time information and intelligence sharing in the future.
Three days of India-Pakistan engagement that could prove the deal maker or the deal break on whether the two sides can be on talking terms again.
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