India-Pakistan talks end in rhetorics

And, for the record, both sides announced that they would “resume” talks in New Delhi with Krishna playing host. Krishna also told a post-talks joint press conference he addressed with Qureshi that he would return to New Delhi with the assurances from the highest levels of the Pakistani government that Islamabad would act on some of India’s concerns.

In particular, act on the leads provided by India on the 26/11 probe, including the ones that had come out from the revelations of Headley.

Krishna dropped enough hints that the two sides had not made much headway in the stated objective of building trust. Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed’s persistent anti-India tirade and attempts to whip up anti-India sentiments in Pakistan did not contribute to the efforts to ease the strained ties between the two neighbours, he said.

Qureshi was quick with his retort. The statement by Indian Home Secretary G K Pillai just on the eve of the talks that Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence were directly involved in the Mumbai attacks was uncalled for and vitiated the atmosphere of the foreign minister-level talks, Qureshi asserted.

Pillai had said in New Delhi on Tuesday that revelations by the incarcerated terror plotter David Headley during interrogations by the FBI and India’s National Investigating Agency had indicated that the ISI had a direct role in controlling and coordinating the 26/11 attacks.

Kashmir continued to be a subject of disagreement. In responses to questions by Pakistani journalists, Qureshi said he had taken up with Krishna issues of human rights violations by the Indian Armed Forces in Kashmir and India’s role in unrest in Balochistan. Krishna said the issue of Balochistan had been taken up by Pakistan in Sharm-el-Sheikh also. But Pakistan had not yet provided even a shred of evidence in support of its accusations against India.

The external affairs minister said it was the prerogative of the elected government of Jammu and Kashmir to deal with the law and order situation and India had enough internal mechanisms to address issues of human rights violations.

The two leaders discussed issues like Sir Creek, Siachen and possible ways of boosting cross-LoC trade and overall economic relations. Krishna made customary call-on with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Gilani during the day.