Thaindian News

Islamabad, June 24 (IANS) The foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan will Thursday hold talks on all issues, including terrorism and Kashmir, the first such effort at their level after the Bhutan thaw to explore trust-building steps to revive the bilateral dialogue.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao will have delegation-level talks with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir on a range of issues, official sources said.

This is the first time the foreign secretaries are meeting in the Pakistani capital since the Mumbai terror attack. Ten terrorists had held Mumbai hostage for 60 hours in November 2008, killing 166 Indians and foreigners.

The talks between Rao and Bashir will set the stage for the crucial meeting between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Islamabad July 15.

During the talks, New Delhi will press Islamabad for visible action to address its continuing concerns over terrorist activities planned and directed against Indian assets from Pakistan.

Rao is expected to ask Pakistan to speed up the trial of seven 26/11 terror attack suspects in Pakistan, take concrete action against Hafiz Saeed, the suspected mastermind of the Mumbai carnage, and against those groups with declared anti-India agenda.

The spike in cross-border infiltration and ceasefire violations will also figure in the discussions.

New Delhi is going into these talks in an “exploratory mode” to work out confidence-building measures that could pave the way for resumption of full-fledged dialogue between the two countries.

India is expected to ask Pakistan to pursue trust-building steps like an early meeting of the judicial committee on prisoners, enhanced commercial and economic ties and cross-border trade.