Terrorism is the main threat to both India and Pakistan, that's what a joint statement issued by both countries said after a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani in Egypt.
The statement that was finalised after three hours of negotiations indicates that while the composite dialogue between India and Pakistan is not resuming just yet, the process of engagement is clearly back.
The foreign secretaries have been asked to meet as often as necessary. A cautious PM said that he couldn't yet say the roadmap for India and Pakistan was clear but he believed that dialogue was the only way forward.
India and Pakistan had not yet reached an agreement on the text of a joint statement but the mandate from the prime ministers was clear.
So, while Manmohan Singh and Gilani held one-on-one talks, the two foreign secretaries exited to a separate room to hold parallel talks that would help iron out the creases.
At the end of a marathon three-hour meeting, this was the big message:
- While the composite dialogue is not resuming just yet, the process of engagement with Pakistan has clearly resumed
- The foreign secretaries have been asked by both PMs to meet as often as necessary and the foreign ministers will also meet in September
- The statement recognised that terrorism is the main threat and Pakistan promise on Mumbai
Interestingly, a part of the joint statement that's caused some controversies says:
Action on terrorism will be delinked with the composite dialogue process
Some interpreted this as a softening of India's position but Indian government said this was no climbdown.
In fact, the opposite but the PM explained that while Pakistan had demanded a resumption of the composite dialogue, India made it clear that terrorism needs to be addressed first
The joint statement sees some departures in both Indian and Pakistani positions:
- There is no reference to Jammu and Kashmir but both countries have agreed to discuss outstanding issues
- And there is a reference to threats in Balochistan an oblique reference to allegations by Pakistan of Indian involvement in the region.
