Thaindian News

Islamabad, June 17 (IANS) Pakistan has said fresh evidence regarding the 2008 Mumbai attack should not be discussed at the foreign secretary-level talks with India and the discussions should include the Kashmir issue, Dawn News reported.

“The agenda for the upcoming meeting is very clearly the three issues that have been indicated - peace and security, Jammu and Kashmir and friendly exchanges,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said Thursday.

She said the Mumbai attack should be discussed by the interior secretaries of the two countries.

“On counter-terrorism, we have already had discussions under the interior or home secretary rubric where all these issues have been discussed. Whenever India provides us fresh information, it is sent to the ministry of interior and it is examined by them,” Janjua said.

Sources earlier told Dawn News that Islamabad proposed June 24-25 for the talks, though no dates have been finalised yet.

India is yet to respond to the proposal, the sources said.

New Delhi recently handed over a dossier to Islamabad based on information provided by the US after the testimony of David Headley during Tahawwur Rana’s trial in Chicago.

The dossier contains details of five suspects linked to the Mumbai attack - namely Sajid Mir, Abu Qahafa, Major Iqbal, Mazhar Iqbal and a man identified as “Lashkar member D”.

“We are in communication with New Delhi to firm up the dates for the visit to Pakistan by the Indian foreign secretary later this month for foreign secretary-level talks in the context of the resumed dialogue process,” Janjua said.

Unnamed Pakistani diplomats said India would want to talk about the Mumbai attack, and the “core issue” of Kashmir will be relegated to the backburner.

“Our objective is to have a purposeful and result-oriented dialogue with India for sustainable peace and development in South Asia,” Janjua added.

Commenting on ties with the US, she said: “Unfortunately, US-Pakistan relations continue to be intersected by exigencies of a developing situation in the context of counter-terrorism and Afghanistan.”