Do you think any purpose will be served by talking to Islamabad?

The seven-hour talks between India and Pakistan’s foreign ministers SM Krishna and Shah Mehmood Qureshi broke no new ground but merely saw the reiteration of established stances. Moreover, a controversy erupted when Qureshi equated home secretary GK Pillai's statement on David Coleman Headley's revelations with the rants of terrorist mastermind Hafiz Mohammed Saeed. With Qureshi also claiming that Krishna had no mandate for the talks and "repeatedly" received directions from New Delhi, the exercise appeared to have degenerated into a war of words.