- Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna, left, shakes hand with his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar before talks in New Delhi, India.
NEW DELHI: The foreign ministers of India and Pakistan revived the pursuit of an ‘uninterruptible’ dialogue process on Wednesday though both sides were aware of a nagging hurdle — their wavering trust.
“This is indeed a new era of bilateral cooperation between the two countries,” Pakistan’s Hina Rabbani Khar told India’s S.M. Krishna in a brief meeting with the media after their talks.
Ms Khar said she believed “that it is the desire and commitment of both the governments to make it an uninterrupted and uninterruptible process…There is no alternative to dialogue and to constructive engagement”.
Mr Krishna said he was satisfied at the progress in this round of the resumed dialogue.
“The outcomes have been as per our expectations. Above all, we have reaffirmed our commitment to resolve all outstanding issues through a comprehensive, serious and sustained dialogue,” Mr Krishna said.
“While being fully cognisant of the challenges that lie ahead, I can confidently say that our relations are on the right track. We have some distance to travel, but with an open mind and a constructive approach, which has been demonstrated in this round of dialogue, I am sure we can reach our desired destination of having a friendly and cooperative relationship between the two countries.”
Both countries had previously agreed to see their peace process as irreversible but hopes were belied after a spate of terror attacks. They had agreed to de-link the problem of terrorism with the continuation of their dialogue but again their leaders had to row back.
A joint statement said the two had agreed that terrorism posed a continuing threat to peace and security and reiterated their “firm and undiluted commitment” to fight and eliminate the scourge in all its forms and manifestations.
“We have also agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation on counter-terrorism to bring those responsible for terror crimes to justice,” Mr Krishna added.
He said on the Jammu and Kashmir issue, “we will continue discussions with a view to finding a peaceful solution by narrowing divergences and building convergences.
Meanwhile, for the welfare of the people on both sides of the LoC, we have announced additional measures on cross-LoC travel and trade”.
“The ministers affirmed the importance of carrying forward the dialogue process with a view to resolving peacefully all outstanding issues through constructive and result-oriented engagement, and to establish friendly, cooperative and good neighbourly relations between Pakistan and India,” the joint statement said.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh speaks with Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar during a meeting at his residence in New Delhi
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