Pak seeks resumption of dialogue

“We have been saying that we want resumption of composite dialogue but it should not be construed as a favour by one side to the other,” Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said.      “We hope India will realise that talks are in the mutual interest of the two countries,” he said.

Responding to a question about External Affairs Minister S M Krishna’s statement linking the resumption of dialogue to Pakistan taking action against the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks, Basit said Islamabad is conducting its investigation with “full seriousness”.

Pakistan is “looking forward” to the meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries on the sidelines of the NAM meet to be held in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik during July 11-16, Basit said. This meeting will be preceded by another one between the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan.

Though Basit did not give dates for the two meetings, other sources said that the foreign secretaries are expected to meet on July 13 or 14 while the two premiers are likely to meet on July 15 or 16.

India put composite dialogue on hold in the wake of last year’s Mumbai terror attacks. It has linked the resumption of parleys to Pakistan taking action against elements linked to the incident, including the banned LeT and JuD.