PM meets Gilani, first substantive meeting in 9 months

Priyanka Tikoo and Ajay Kaul
Thimphu, Apr 29 (PTI) Prime Minister of India Manmohan
Singh Thursday met his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza
Gilani for the first substantive dialogue in nine months
during which he is understood to have conveyed India's deep
disappointment over Islamabad's inaction to punish
perpetrators of Mumbai attacks.
Singh and Gilani met in this picturesque Bhutanese
capital on the margins of the 16th SAARC Summit, their first
meeting after their controversial engagement in Sharm-el-
Sheikh in Egypt in July last year.
Before beginning their meeting, which began almost 40
minutes later than the originally scheduled time, Singh and
Gilani shook hands and greeted each other warmly.
Ahead of their Thursday's meeting, 77-year-old Singh
and 57-year old Gilani had shook hands twice Wednesday during
the opening day of the Summit and took a stroll together at
the insistence of other leaders.
During the meeting on Thursday, Singh is believed to
have conveyed to Gilani India's strong demand for action by
Pakistan against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack.
India had suspended the Composite Dialogue process
after the Mumbai attacks and has linked its resumption to
action against terror.
The Prime Minister is also understood to have sought
an update on Pakistan's investigation and trial in the Mumbai
attacks case in that country, sources said.
While the Indian delegation consisted of External
Affairs Minister S M Krishna, National Security Adviser
Shivshankar Menon and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, the
Pakistani delegation included Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood
Qureshi and Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and others.
All eyes were on the meeting, the first bilateral
engagement between the two Prime Ministers since they met in
Sharm-el Sheikh on July 16, 2009. The Joint Statement issued
after the meeting had triggered a major controversy in India
over reference to "threats" in Balochistan, where Pakistan has
been alleging Indian hand in terror incidents.
The statement also appeared to delink the composite
dialogue process from action on terrorism by Pakistan. India
had suspended the composite dialogue process after the Mumbai
attacks.

The Indian side is believed to have focused on the
"core" concern of cross-border terrorism and highlighted its
unhappiness over Pakistan having not done enough on this
front.
Singh is understood to have pointed out that the
threat of terrorism emanating from Pakistan continues to loom
and Pakistan had not taken any concrete steps to eradicate
this to create conditions for resumption of substantive
dialogue.
Pakistan has arrested seven of those accused in the
Mumbai terror strikes but Singh had publicly expressed his
displeasure on the mastermind of attacks against India like
JuD chief Hafiz Saeed -- still roaming freely in Pakistan.
The Prime Minister is also understood to have raised
Hafiz Saeed issue with Gilani.
The two leaders also had two brief encounters earlier
this month in Washington where both the Prime Ministers were
to attend the Nuclear Security Summit. On both occasions there
were handshakes and pleasantries exchanged.
Pakistan had earlier this week stated that the
dossiers handed over by India during the Foreign Secretary
level talks in New Delhi on February 25 did not contain any
evidence to book Saeed.
The Pakistani side is also believed to raised the
issue of water-sharing. Pakistan has been alleging that India
was violating the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 by building a
power project on Kishanganga river in Jammu and Kashmir, a
contention rejected by India. PTI PYK/AKK
KAB