Pak to approach talks with positive mindset, but wants India to shun Mumbai ‘fixation’

ISLAMABAD - Reiterating that it is committed to bring the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks to justice, Pakistan has said that it would be entering the upcoming talks between Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi with his Indian counterpart S M Krishna on July 15, with a positive mindset.

Interacting with media persons during a regular briefing here, Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit said Islamabad has always been sincere and responsible in the Mumbai terror attacks probe.

“As far as Pakistan is concerned, we are proceeding with a full sense of responsibility and sincerity. We would like that those who have committed the (Mumbai) crime be brought to justice,” The Dawn quoted Basit, as saying.

Basit added that Pakistan believes that India would shun its ‘fixation’ with the Mumbai issue and realise that disengagement has served neither of the two neighbouring countries.

“Our expectations are that as a result of this meeting our countries get engaged in a sustained manner,” the spokesman added.

Next week’s meeting between Krishna and Qureshi in Islamabad is being seen as a step towards reducing the heightened tension between the nuclear power neighbours.

The Foreign Secretaries of both countries met last month to finalise the agenda for the ministerial level talks.

During the June 24 foreign secretary level dialogue, both countries stressed on the need for reducing the massive trust deficit existing between them.

On June 26, Home Minister P. Chidambaram met his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik in Islamabad on the sidelines of a SAARC Interior Ministers Summit.

Chidamabaram had then told Pakistan in clear terms that progress on various pending issues between both countries should not be expected unless Islamabad brought the perpetrators of the ghastly Mumbai attack to justice. (ANI)