India agrees terror should not be linked to dialogue

I / Sharm-el Sheikh/egypt July 16, 2009, 18:15 IST

In an apparent climbdown, India today agreed with Pakistan's contention that terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani met here to chart the "way forward" in bilateral ties.

In the second top-level meeting since the Mumbai terror attacks, Singh and Gilani met for more than two hours, virtually signalling a thaw in relations that had soured after the 26/11 strike when India suspended the dialogue process.

A joint statement issued after the meeting said both leaders agreed that terrorism is the main threat to both the countries and affirmed their resolve to fight the menace by cooperating with each other.

"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," said the statement, which is seen as a climbdown for India as it has all along maintained that dialogue cannot be held till there is concrete action against terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

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.