In an effort to tamp down the tensions between them, India and Pakistan will on Thursday inaugurate their first formal bilateral talks since 26/11.
The delegation-level talks that are expected to last for at least two hours on Thursday will see both countries bring different agendas to the table. New Delhi has made it clear that cross-border terrorism will be the core issue as its concerns over activities of anti-India terror outfits operating from Pakistani territory are yet to be adequately addressed.
While there will be no joint statement at the end of the talks, according to sources, India is going in for the secretary-level talks with an open mind. But it is fully conscious of ?limitations? imposed by the ?trust deficit? post-Mumbai.
Apart from Salman Bashir, the Pakistani side will have Afrasiab, director-general of the South Asia division, Pakistan’s high commissioner Shahid Malik, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson Abdul Basit and other senior officials.
The Indian side headed by Nirupama Rao will include YK Sinha, joint secretary in charge of Pakistan, India’s high commissioner to Islamabad Sharat Sabharwal, and Vishnu Prakash, spokesperson of the external affairs ministry.
It may be recalled that leaders from both countries had met at Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt. However, this is the first structured dialogue since the Mumbai attack 14 months ago put the composite dialogue process on hold.
A positive outcome could set the stage for summit-level talks between the leaders of the two countries on the sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit in Thimphu in April and brighten the possibilities of resumption of a broader dialogue.