Foreign Secretaries end talks: India hands over 3 dossiers on terror to Pakistan

As the meeting of the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan concluded in New Delhi on Thursday, India succeeded in making terror the focus of the deliberations and has asked Pakistan to arrest Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao handed over three dossiers dealing with information on “some individuals” associated with the Mumbai terror attack to her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir during their talks. “We gave them three dossiers,” Ms. Rao told reporters after the three-hour long meeting with the 13-member Pakistani delegation.

She said one dossier was information on “some individuals associated with Mumbai terror attack”, the second one was on Ilyas Kashmiri, Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami commander, who asked foreign teams to stay away in their own interest from participation in the hockey World Cup, Indian Premier League and the Commonwealth Games. The last dossier is related to fugitive Indian nationals who are believed to be in Pakistan. “We hope effective action will be taken on them,” Ms. Rao said.

Ms Rao said after the talks, India was well aware of the trust deficit between the two countries. The discussions with the Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir was the “first step” in building trust and said India believed in always keeping the door open for mutual contacts. But she ruled out early resumption of the Composite Dialogue, which was raised by the Pakistani side, on the ground that more measures were expected from Pakistan in dismantling the terror infrastructure and punishing the guilty involved in the Mumbai attack of 26/11.

India raised all key points on terrorism with Pakistan, especially matters relating to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) -- JuD leader Abdur Rehman Makki, at the delegation level talks. The recent Pune blast too was mentioned by India.

Nirupama Rao adopted a diplomatic line on the points raised by Pakistan saying Kashmir issue figured in which both sides reiterated their respective positions. India rejected charges on Balochistan saying it did not believe in meddling in affairs of other countries. No evidence was given on alleged Indian interference in Balochistan, Ms rao said. The river water dispute was also mentioned by the Pakistani side to which India responded saying the Indus Water Treaty was functioning well. When asked who benefited by the Thursday talks, Ms.Rao said they were “useful, detailed, candid, transparent and indicated good chemistry.” Ms Rao added “we agreed to remain in touch” indicating though there was no breakthrough, the two countries will continue with the talks process.

She also refuted speculation on the lack of a joint statement saying it was not always needed. Asked if any planning was done for a meeting of the Prime Ministers of the two countries at the April SARRC meeting in Thimphu, Bhutan, she said it was too early to discuss it.

The Pakistani delegation comprised Afrasiab, director-general of the South Asia division and a former deputy high commissioner to India, Pakistan’s High Commissioner Shahid Malik, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit and other senior officials.

Indian networks behind 26/11: Pakistan charge

As Indo-Pak foreign secretaries ended their Delhi talks aimed at ending the chill in bilateral ties, Pakistan on Thursday claimed "Indian networks" were behind the terror attacks in Mumbai and on the Samjhauta Express and Indian Parliament. Without giving any evidence to substantiate the claims, Interior minister Rehman Malik said a terrorist assault of the magnitude of the Mumbai attacks could not have been carried out without the backing of an "Indian network."

"I had said very openly during a press conference that such a major terrorist incident like the Mumbai attacks could not have happened without the involvement of an Indian network," he told reporters after appearing in the Lahore High Court in connection with the hearing of a case.

"There was (an Indian) network when the Samjhauta Express was (attacked in 2007)... There was also (an Indian) network involved in the attack on Indian Parliament (in 2001)," Malik said. "These are three networks that have been identified as existing in India," he claimed without giving further details.

Malik referred to comments by Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram about Abu Jindal, a suspected Indian handler of the Mumbai attacks, to back his contention about the involvement of an "Indian network" in the incident.
"Time proved me right when Chidambaram said that Abu Jindal was involved. That means there is a network," he said. However, Chidambaram had only said that Indian authorities suspected Abu Jindal was an Indian.

- Asian Tribune -