New Delhi
17 March 2010
India on Wednesday categorically ruled out composite dialogue with Pakistan.
"To our mind, going back to the composite dialogue process does not make sense,"
National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon said on the occasion of the launch of the
book "India's National Security: Annual Review 2009" edited by Prof Satish Kumar.
His remarks reinforced what Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said in Washington.
Voicing concern over Pakistan's inaction against perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks,
including Hafiz Saeed, Ms Rao said it is "very, very difficult" to resume composite
dialogue at present.
Mr Menon sought to attribute New Delhi's disinclination for "composite dialogue" with
Pakistan to lessons learnt from history. However, he did not dwell on how bilateral talks
will eventually shape up.
He said the recently concluded foreign secretary-level talks can at best be described as
exploratory in nature, and indicated that New Delhi will wait for Islamabad's response
before taking a view on where the talks might be headed.
"[I] cannot describe the end state or outcome. It takes two hands to clap. Now let us see
where we can take it," Mr Menon said.
Replying to a question about the way forward for India in Afghanistan, Mr Menon said
New Delhi will continue to do what it has been doing there but differently.
Mr Menon's remarks on talks with Pakistan come days after External Affairs Minister SM
Krishna said here that India will take one step at a time on talks with Pakistan and that
the next round of foreign secretary-level talks might be held in Islamabad.
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