Pakistan-based terror to be focus of talks: Nirupama Rao

After president Pratibha Patil said in her address to parliament on Monday that India was willing to explore a meaningful relationship with Pakistan, provided it cracks down on terror, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said in London that New Delhi’s concerns about militant groups based in Pakistan would be the “essential focus” of her talks with counterpart Salman Bashir.

The talks will be held in New Delhi on Thursday.
India wants to move forward in a “slow and deliberate” manner to keep the door of dialogue open.

“We are now making another attempt of dialogue with Pakistan. However, calls for jihad, hostility and aggression continue to be made openly against India. This reflects the real and tangible difficulties we face in dealing with Pakistan. If the process of normalisation is to be sustained and taken forward, effective action against such groups by the government of Pakistan is an absolute must,” Rao said.

Interestingly, Islamabad has invited Hurriyat leaders to meet Bashir a day before the dialogue. The meeting at the Pakistan high commission on Wednesday will give the separatists a much-needed leg-up to show that Islamabad continues to back their cause.