No 'composite' talks till Pak acts on terror: PM

PTI 16 July 2009, 07:59pm IST

SHARM-EL SHEIKH (Egypt): In an apparent climbdown, India on Thursday dropped its insistence on refusing to hold talks with Pakistan till those

behind the Mumbai terror attacks were punished but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh clarified that the "composite dialogue" will not be resumed. ( Watch )

A joint statement issued after the second top-level meeting since the Mumbai terror attacks said "Both Prime Ministers recognised that dialogue is the only way forward. Action on terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process and these should not be bracketed."

During the two-hour-long meeting, which virtually signalled a thaw in relations that had soured after the 26/11 attacks, the two sides agreed to "create an atmosphere of mutual trust and confidence".

There was no mention of Kashmir in the statement which, however, said that Singh expressed India's readiness to "discuss all issues with Pakistan, including all outstanding issues". Under the composite dialogue process, Kashmir is one of the issues.

The delinking of composite dialogue with terrorism is seen as a climbdown by India as it has all along maintained that dialogue cannot be held till there is concrete action against terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

Later, addressing a press conference, Singh was at pains to clarify that "the composite dialogue process cannot resume unless and until terrorist acts, like the one which shook Mumbai, are properly accounted for and perpetrators of these heinous crimes are brought to book."

Singh said that "if acts of terrorism continue to be perpetrated, there is no question of dialogue, least of all, the composite dialogue... If there is no attempt (by Pakistan) to contain terrorism, no dialogue can succeed."

He emphasised that "So long as Pakistan territory continues to be used for perpetrating acts of terrorism directed against India, I think, the dialogue, even if it starts, cannot move forward."

Noting that there is no option but to have dialogue with Pakistan, he said, however, that he could not say what kind of talks will happen. This, he said, will be determined by the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries who will keep meeting as often as possible.

Singh said that any recurrence of Mumbai-type attack will be "intolerable" and that would affect the ties from moving forward.

India has particularly been maintaining that the dialogue process cannot resume till Pakistan takes "concrete" and "visible" action against perpetrators of Mumbai attacks.

On top of it, the joint statement also contains a reference to "threats" in Balochistan, where Pakistan has been alleging Indian hand in terror incidents.

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