India open to discussing contentious issues with Pakistan

NEW DELHI - India will be going into next week’s foreign secretary-level talks with an open mind and will discuss all contentious issues if raised by Pakistan.

New Delhi believes that if normalization of ties is to be achieved, it has to discuss threadbare all issues with Pakistan.

“India is not going to shy away from any issue raised by Pakistan, including Kashmir and Afghanistan,” official sources said.

“India is not going into the dialogue on an accusatory note, but on an exploratory note,” the sources added.

India has closely observed the recent activism displayed by Lashkar-e-Toiba chief Hafeez Saeed.

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram is expected to take up the issue with his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik on June 26 on the sidelines of the SAARC Home Ministers’ conference, official sources said.

India recently handed an eleventh dossier to Pakistan, which sought a response to information on Hafeez Saeed and Ajmal Kasab facing death sentence in India.

According to the sources, during his one-to-one meeting with Malik, Chidambaram is expected to focus on the Mumbai attack evidence, speeding up of trials and reiterate his demand to dismantle the terror infrastructure and take action against anti-India groups operating in Pakistan.

Sources here said: “Terrorism emanating from Pakistan has complicated the relationship between the two countries, and if Pakistan wants to bridge the trust deficit, and wants a long term relationship with India, it has to take stern action against terrorism.”

“We cannot preclude attacks against India planned from Pakistan. The threat perception has not diminished, and, reports of attacks planned against India and its consulates in Afghanistan, have not ceased. So, the responsibility wrests on Pakistan to stop such attacks,” the sources added.

India also believes that Pakistan has to shun its segmented approach in tackling terrorism.

“Islamabad should introspect on its India-centric policy and see that orientation is changed,” sources said.

Chidambaram will also raise issues of infiltration and humanitarian issues like the release of fisherman and fake currency.

India will push for the early meeting of the Judicial Committee, seek enhanced economic ties, remove impediments to Line of Control (LoC) trade and facilitate greater people-to-people contact. (ANI)