Islamabad / New Delhi
23 February 2010
SHAFQAT ALI in Islamabad and RAMESH RAMACHANDRAN in New Delhi
Thursday's talks between India and Pakistan was meant to be in the nature of
foreign office consultations, with no inter-ministerial representatives in attendance, but
Islamabad introduced an avoidable distraction on the eve of the dialogue by insisting on
including officials from its water and interior ministries in its delegation. Pakistan is
since understood to have relented, but it has sought to project that two officials from
interior and water ministries had been "dropped" from the delegation at India's behest.
New Delhi denied all such insinuations, with Ministry of External Affairs spokesman
Vishnu Prakash categorically rejecting them saying that they were factually incorrect and
absolutely baseless.
"There were concerns from India regarding participation of these officials (from the
interior and water) ministries in the talks. They (India) may not want to highlight these
(water, etc) issues too much", a senior Pakistan Government official told this newspaper
in Islamabad. Originally, he said, the officials from the Interior and Water and Power
were part of the finalised delegation.
"Pakistan has accepted the Indian demand and included two more officials from the
foreign ministry in the delegation", the official said, adding that President Asif Ali Zardari,
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi do not
want to spoil a chance to hold talks over petty issues.
"They have given a go-ahead for change in the delegation. All three of them (Mr Zardari,
Mr Gilani and Mr Qureshi) want resumption of a dialogue and do not want to care about
small hitches", the official said.
Recently, an Indian delegation visited Pakistan for talks on the water issue. The next
round of the talks is expected to be held in March in India.
However, Pakistan foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit denied India had made any
such demand. "There have been changes in the eight-member team but it is not under
the Indian pressure", he said.
Notwithstanding Mr Basit's denial, sources maintained that it was originally decided in
Tuesday's meeting here that the eight-member team will comprise six officials of foreign
ministry and two members of interior and water ministries "but due to the Indian demand,
two more members of foreign ministry replaced the officials from the interior and water
ministries".
The divergence of perceptions on the composition of delegation would come as an
avoidable distraction, especially after the two sides sparred over the ambit and nature of
talks. Pakistan wanted the talks to conform to the format of the composite dialogue
process, which was disrupted after the Mumbai attacks, but India maintained that the
discussions would be exploratory in nature.
The Indian delegation led by foreign secretary Nirupama Rao will comprise Mr Yash K
Sinha, joint secretary in charge of Pakistan, Ministry of External Affairs spokesman
Vishnu Prakash and other officials. The Pakistan side will comprise its foreign secretary
Salman Bashir and six other members, including Mr Basit.
The Pakistan delegation, which is expected to reach here on Wednesday, will meet with
a Hurriyat delegation comprising Mirwaiz Umar Farooq here ahead of the foreign
secretary-level talks.
India has said that the foreign secretary-level talks would be exploratory in nature, as a
sequel to the September 2009 meeting between the two foreign secretaries on the
margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. India will want to focus on
its concerns about terrorism emanating from Pakistan but at the same time, it will be
open to discussions on other issues that may be raised by Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi, who is visiting China, said that "Pakistan
wants a meaningful dialogue with India". He said Pakistan was never shy of talking to
India, which, he noted, unilaterally suspended the dialogue after the "unfortunate and
tragic Mumbai incident".
Mr Qureshi said India and Pakistan had agreed in a joint communique that acts of
terrorism will not be allowed to impede the process of dialogue.
"After 14 months, they (India) have re-engaged with us and have invited us for a
dialogue", Mr Qureshi said, noting that his country recognises the significance and
progress made through the composite dialogue process.
India and Pakistan have completed four rounds of the composite dialogue.
// Box //
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) met here on Tuesday ahead of the foreign
secretary-level talks with Pakistan.
The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is understood to have
discussed the issues to be raised at the meeting, including Pakistan's response to
international demands on dismantling terror infrastructure on its soil.
The CCS, attended by Defence Minister AK Antony, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna
and Home Minister P Chidambaram, is also learnt
to have delved on the gaps in Pakistan's actions in bringing to justice those responsible
for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and what India had wanted it to do in this regard.
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