Rao to meet Bashir on Thursday; terrorism top on agenda

Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Jun 23 (PTI) Bridging the trust deficit
between India and Pakistan and finding the elusive common
ground in efforts to tackle terrorism will top the agenda when
Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao meets her Pakistani
counterpart Salman Bashir for talks here on Thursday.
Rao, the first senior Indian official to visit
Pakistan since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, and Bashir have
been tasked by Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza
Gilani to find ways to bridge the trust deficit and prepare
the ground for a meeting of the Foreign Ministers on July 15.
Terrorism, particularly India's concerns about
Pakistan-based terror groups like the Lashker-e-Taiba and
Jaish-e-Mohammed, will be among the issues that will be raised
by Rao during her meeting with Bashir at the Foreign Office
on Thursday at 11 am, diplomatic and official sources told
PTI.
Sources in Pakistan's Foreign Office conceded that no
major breakthrough is expected during Thursday's talks but
said officials were preparing for the long haul in parleys
with India as both countries have a desire to usher in peace
and stability in the region.
The sources in the Foreign Office acknowledged that
India would certainly raise the issue of groups like the LeT
during the talks but said they believed this would not become
a "sticking point" as Indian officials have recently said they
are approaching the parleys in "an exploratory and not an
accusatory manner".
The Pakistani side is keen to revamp the existing
Joint Anti-Terror Mechanism by upgrading it and this issue is
likely to be raised during the talks, sources said.
While Pakistan has launched major military offensives
against Taliban in the country's northwest and the adjoining
tribal belt, Indian officials believe little has been done to
rein in anti-India groups like the LeT, which continue to have
bases and induct new recruits in Punjab province.
Pakistani authorities have put on trial seven suspects
linked to the Mumbai attacks, including LeT operations
commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, but the proceedings have been
mired in controversy and affected by prolonged delays.
Western diplomats based in Islamabad concede there is
valid reason for the growing frustration in India for the
perceived lack of action by Pakistan against groups like the
LeT and its front, the Jamaat-ud-Dawah.
Pakistani observers believe the Foreign
Secretary-level talks present an opportunity for the two sides
to find some common ground after a break of almost two years
in the bilateral peace process. MORE PTI