Composite Or Not, Pakistan Will Talk To India

BY IBRAHIM SAJID MALICK

Pakistan is prepared to show flexibility and demonstrate to the world that Islamabad is ready to resume dialogue with India in any format, a well placed source within Pakistan foreign office told Examiner Saturday.

A statement issued yesterday confirmed that Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir visit to New Delhi for a meeting with his counterpart on February 25th.

Our sources tell us that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has instructed Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the foreign secretary to take this new thaw in diplomacy forward and do not allow any technical or format disagreement derail the process.

Following his meeting with the Prime Minister, Pakistani Foreign Secretary called his Indian counterpart Ms Nirupama Rao to convey Pakistan's acceptance of the invitation for talks. In the brief conversation, the two sides agreed that the agenda for the meeting would be decided through diplomatic channels.

A statement issued by the prime minister's office today said, "Pakistani side should raise all core issues and impress upon India the need for their expeditious resolution through resumption of the Composite Dialogue."

However, our sources tell us that Pakistan is keen on moving forward regardless of the format of the dialogue.

Pakistan has been demanding resumption of 'composite dialogue' to address all open issues but India has indicated that she wants to take one step at a time.

Composite dialogues between the two South Asian nations came to a screeching halt on November 2008 when a group of terrorists attacked key locations in Mumbai, India.

India wants to address issues of terrorism alleged presence of India-specific terror infrastructure on Pakistan's soil.

South Asian experts do not anticipate breakthrough on core disputes but view recent re-engagement between India and Pakistan positively.

Rhetoric over the agenda is seen in "as the domestic compulsion of two governments otherwise keen to engage."