Thaw In Indo-Pak Ties - Chidambaram To Attend SAARC Meet

In a clear sign of thaw in India, Pakistan relations which had remained frozen since the Mumbai terror attacks, it has been announced that Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram will travel to Pakistan on February 26 for a SAARC meeting on a two-day visit. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna made the announcement to journalists accompanying him on a flight to Kuwait for a two-day visit on Wednesday.

This will be the first high-level bilateral visit since the 26/11 terror attack which left over 170 people dead, besides heavy damage to two top hotels of the financial capital of India.

Krishna also indicated the possibility of Chidambaram holding bilateral meetings with his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik and other leaders on the sidelines of the third SAARC Interior Ministers' Conference. "Chidambaram will get a chance to have very useful exchanges with his counterparts and other leaders in Pakistan," he said.

This will be the first visit by an Indian Minister to Pakistan since May 2008 when then External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had gone there for Composite Dialogue. Krishna also said even "a few steps" by Pakistan in Mumbai terror attacks probe will satisfy it and help in dialogue as well as carrying on with normal business between the two countries.

He said India will be "quite satisfied" with "a few steps" by Pakistan in the course of 26/11 investigations. This, he said, will "certainly make it easier for India to carry on normal business with Pakistan". "We are trying to focus their attention also on terrorism. It would be extremely helpful for our bilateral relationship and dialogue (if they take these measures)," he said.

Taking note of Pakistan’s readiness to accept the lone surviving gunman Kasab’s confessional statement as evidence to prosecute the planners of the Mumbai attacks and other evidence with respect to boats used to ferry the attackers from Karachi, Krishna said India interpreted these as constructive signals.

The External Affairs Minister had given indications of the possibility of a change in India’s position a day earlier when he said the “doors were not closed” to talks with Pakistan but it should continue to demonstrate its steadfastness to combating anti-India formations.

“The doors were never shut. In our previous dialogue, focus has always been on terror and terror instrumentalities. We expect, based on the dossiers provided us, they should investigate further and bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack to justice,” he said.

Meanwhile, amidst reports that terror outfit LeT might be planning a major attack in India, the CIA chief on Wednesday told US lawmakers that another such strike would undermine US efforts in Pakistan by raising tensions between the two neighbours. CIA Director Leon Panetta said at a Congressional hearing that besides al Qaeda the US now faces a series of threats from terror groups like al-Shabaab, Hezbollah and Hamas.

“A particular concern is Lashkar-e-Taiba which, if they should conduct an attack against India, could very well undermine our efforts in Pakistan,” Panetta said expressing his apprehension of the impact that attack could have on relationship between India and Pakistan.

A US-based security think tank in its yearly forecast had recently said that Pakistan-based terror groups have a “strategic intent” to launch major new attacks on the Indian soil to trigger a conflict between the two countries.

- Asian Tribune -