Home secretary"s- "Talks are extremely positive. Progress made in right direction,"Punishment to perpetrators of the 26\11 Mumbai

Home secretary talks ‘very positive’

Vishwa Mohan, TNN | Mar 29, 2011, 01.26am IST


NEW DELHI: Punishment to perpetrators of the 26\11 Mumbai terror attacks is New Delhi's priority, but the issue does not seem to be a "sticking point" between India and Pakistan.

The sense emerged during the first day of the home secretary-level talks on Monday when almost all the pending issues, relating to security, were discussed between the two neighbours amid indications that both sides may come out on Tuesday with some "promises" in a joint statement to move forward from this point.

Expectedly, home secretary G K Pillai forcefully raised the 26\11 incident, pointing out the "slow pace of trial and probe" in the case in Pakistan despite having all material evidence on its soil. Pillai's counterpart, Qamar Zaman, however, took refuge in law of the land stating that the investigators are doing their job but they have to follow procedure and produce concrete evidence before the courts.

Zaman, on his part, also tried to corner Indian side. He asked some specific questions on the Samjhauta blast, referring to what had appeared in the media in the wake of Swami Aseemanand's confession that disclosed it to be a handiwork of Hindu radicals. He was, however, politely and firmly told by Pillai that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing the case, and details of it would "certainly be shared with Pakistan once the agency files its chargesheet".

Later, both of them termed the ongoing talks as "extremely positive" and moving in the "right direction". "Talks are extremely positive. Progress made in right direction," Pillai said at the end of the first day of the two-day talks.
Zaman, who is leading a 12-member delegation, also said talks were "very positive". He said, "Since, we have another day for the talks, I am not going into the specifics at the moment. But I can tell you with good amount of certainty that both the sides displayed a very positive attitude... It has been a result-oriented meeting and I am really confident about tomorrow's proceedings also".

Asked whether the Indian stand on the 26\11 probe on Monday would amount to dilution of the matter, an official privy to the first day of the talks said, "The issue was raised as priority, but certainly it was not a sticking point as such a direction or message we got after what had happened on the sidelines of the Saarc ministerial conference in Thimphu in February."

He added, "Had it been the sticking point, we would not have at the first place decided to resume the home secretary-level talks which was suspended after 26\11. The message was certainly to move on with keeping eye on development over the issue of bringing Mumbai sccused to justice." The issues discussed included ways to ease certain visa norms, release of each other's prisoners and fishermen.
Do you like this story?