India Wants Dialogue With Pak To Move Forward: Gujral

Prime Minister IK Gujral indicated yesterday that India wanted the dialogue with Pakistan to move forward in a purposeful manner even as the two countries grappled with various formulations to work out a viable mechanism for tackling outstanding bilateral issues including Kashmir.

The foreign secretaries of the two countries, K Raghunath and Shamshad Ahmad, resumed their delegation level talks at Hyderabad House here for a second session within hours after the eight-member Pakistani side called on Gujral at the Prime Ministers office.

During the 25-minute meeting with the Pakistani delegation, Gujral indicated New Delhis desire to proceed with the dialogue in a comprehensive way.

Ahmad said after the meeting that the Pakistani delegation, joined by the Indian foreign secretary, apprised Gujral of the direction in which the three-day talks were heading but gave no details.

Officials were tightlipped on whether Gujral, who is scheduled to meet Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in New York on September 23, had made any proposals to achieve tangible results at the current parleys.

The two sides, which held the first session of plenary and informal talks spread over three hours on Tuesday, yesterday got into the nitty-gritty of ways to give effect to the June 23 joint statement issued at the end of the second round of foreign-secretary-level talks in Islamabad.

The parleys broadly revolved around the joint statement which envisages setting up of working groups on six identified issues, Siachen, Tulbul navigation project, Sir Creek maritime boundary question, terrorism and drug trafficking, economic and commercial cooperation and promotion of friendly exchanges in various fields.

Both the delegations continued exchanges on the interpretation of the joint statement relating to a mechanism to address the twin issues of Kashmir and peace and security, sources said.

The Indian delegation included high commissioner in Pakistan Satish Chandra and Vivek Katju, Talmiz Ahmad and Rakesh Sood, all joint secretaries in the external affairs ministry.

The Pakistan side comprised Khalid Saleem and Tariq Altaf, additional secretaries in the foreign office, Qazi Jahangir Ashraf, the high commissioner here, Alamgir Babar Khan, director (Kashmir affairs), Salman Bashir, director (India) and Iqbal Ahmad Khan, director (South Asia).