Pak not expecting any ‘breakthrough’ during Feb 25 bilateral talks
February 22nd, 2010 - 12:45 pm ICT by ANI ( Leave a comment )Islamabad, Feb.22 (ANI) : While India and Pakistan prepare for foreign secretary-level talks scheduled to be held on February 25 in New Delhi, expectations are not high for any ‘breakthrough’ during the deliberations.
Pakistani officials believe that the talks would largely be an exploratory exchange of views in the absence of an understanding between the two sides on the need for having genuine conversation.
Sources privy to the Foreign Office (FO) said Islamabad’s policy would be to remain positive during the talks, and try to have ‘a frank and all inclusive dialogue’ on the status of bilateral relations.
“There is no fixed agenda and we’ll discuss full spectrum of our relations including the longstanding issues like Kashmir and more pressing matters like water disputes,” The Dawn quoted an official, as saying.
Pakistan’s seven-member delegation, which would leave for New Delhi on Wednesday, includes officials from the FO, and also officers from water and power ministries.
The United States, which has been working hard to bring India and Pakistan to the talking table, is also aware about the difficulties of making both the neighbouring nations arrive at some conclusion.
US Under-Secretary for Defence Policy Michèle Flournoy, recently, called upon both Islamabad and New Delhi to show ‘political courage to overcome hiccups in bilateral relations.’ (ANI)
- Pak to finalise strategy for foreign secretary-level talks with India next week - Feb 07, 2010
- US keen on Pak-India talks to end tensions in South Asia - Feb 18, 2010
- Indian lacks courage to expose Hindu extremists: Pakistan - Feb 05, 2011
- India, Pakistan to hold exploratory talks in Thimphu - Feb 05, 2011
- India expecting no "dramatic" outcome from talks with Pakistan in Thimpu - Jan 28, 2011
- Pak, India expected to remove non-tariff barriers, open more trade routes - Apr 28, 2011
- Indo-Pak composite dialogue to resume from March 21 in New Delhi - Mar 02, 2011
- India, Pakistan to hold talks in Bhutan Sunday - Feb 06, 2011
- India, Pakistan to discuss terror, Kashmir Thursday (Lead) - Jun 23, 2010
- India asks Pakistan to declare its n-doctrine, join FMCT - Dec 29, 2011
- Hillary arrives on two-day Pakistan visit - Oct 20, 2011
- India-Pakistan foreign secretary talks June-end, terror tops agenda - Jun 09, 2011
- India to Pakistan: Time for dossiers over, act against Saeed (Intro Night Lead) - Jun 26, 2010
- India serious about talks, says Pakistani foreign minister - Jul 24, 2011
- Pak shelves plan of moving to World Bank over water disputes with India - Feb 21, 2010
Tags: bilateral relations, bilateral talks, breakthrough, dawn, defence policy, deliberations, dialogue, fo, foreign office, full spectrum, hiccups, india and pakistan, kashmir, member delegation, New Delhi, pakistani officials, political courage, pressing matters, water and power, water disputes