Trust deficit holding back Pakistan ties: Manmohan

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday that a cross-border “trust deficit” was the main obstacle holding back any improvement in relations between India and archrival Pakistan.

“Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and I agreed that trust deficit was the problem blocking progress,” Singh told reporters, referring to recent discussions between the two in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu.

“Pakistan is our neighbour. It is my firm belief that India cannot realise its full development potential till we have best relations with our neighbours,” he said, as he reviewed his year in power since re-election.

Trust deficit the biggest problem: Manmohan

NEW DELHI: Trust deficit is the biggest problem with Pakistan and no progress can happen in negotiations unless this issue is addressed, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here Monday.

”Trust deficit is the biggest problem,” he said at the first major press conference to mark the first year of the second term of the United Progressive Alliance government.

”It is my conviction that … why we haven”t been able to make headway in composite dialogue is that there has been lack of adequate trust,” he said.

Singh said trust deficit was identified as a core issue when he met his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani in Bhutan last month.

”We agreed that trust deficit is a major problem blocking progress in the direction of going forward and that it should be our common endeavour to reduce the trust deficit. That”s we agreed that the foreign ministers should meet,” he said.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna is scheduled to meet with his Pakistani counterpart in Islamabad July 15.

India had stopped the composite dialogue process with Pakistan after the terror attack in Mumbai in November 2008.

”I am hopeful that this process can move forward. At least, that is the message that I got from talking to the Pakistan prime minister,” he said.

Singh said it was his ”firm belief” that India cannot realise its full potential unless ”we have the best possible relations with our neighbours, and Pakistan happens to be our largest neighbour”.

Krishna accepts invitation to visit Pakistan on July 15

ISLAMABAD: The foreign ministers of Pakistan and India took forward the bilateral ties between the countries, as the two leaders talked on phone today to restore the composite dialogues, Geo News reported Tuesday.

India’s External Affairs Minister SM Krishna accepted the invitation to visit Pakistan, saying, he is looking forward to these talks.

The Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on phone that talks are the only way to the peace in the two countries, as their suspension will benefit only the terrorists.

Both the leaders talked on phone today at 11am for half an hour.

The sources told that the two leaders discussed the proposals to initiate the peace process and implement the decisions taken at SAARC Summit in Bhutan.

Qureshi said the terrorism is a mutual trouble and the infights will prove beneficial only to the terrorists.

According to the sources, the Pak FM said peace is impossible without the negotiations.

Inviting the Indian minister to visit Pakistan, Qureshi said he himself is ready to visit India. According to Indian news media, Krishna accepted the invitation and will visit the country on July 15.

Pakistan ready for talks, but not on pre-conditions

TrendPK.com ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday reiterated that Pakistan was ready for talks with India but not on pre-conditions.
Pakistan would like the process of engagement leading to the resumption of the composite dialogue, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said.
However, he confirmed that the Foreign Office had not yet responded to the [...]

India Not Serious in Composite Dialogue With Pak: FO

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said on Friday that India did not seem intent on composite dialogue with Pakistan, adding that it did not want to resolve core issues including water and Kashmir.
Abdul Basit maintained that Pakistan was a responsible state and answers Indian accusations through proper channel. He said India just look at terrorist incidents in its own territory and neglect terrorism in Pakistan. If Pakistan and India do not hold talks, it would be tantamount to the accomplishment of the terrorists’ agenda. Abdul Basit said US-India relations did not affect Pakistan unless they’re not against Pakistan’s interests.
The foreign office spokesman said India did not seem intent on initiating the composite talks with Pakistan. Pakistan wishes the commencement of the composite talks with India, not just a photo session, adding his country wants fruitful negotiations with its neighbor. The FO spokesman said if the negotiations were not jump-started, it would be a step forward towards the completion of terrorists’ agenda, adding it seemed India did not want peace in the region and was not serious in resolution of issues relating Kashmir and water. Abdul Basit said India wanted to dither the resolution of problems by abandoning the negotiations.

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India Not Serious in Composite Dialogue With Pak: FO was first posted on November 20, 2009 at 10:10 pm.

Back Channel Contacts for Pakistan and India Dialogue

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Back Channel Contacts for Pakistan and India Dialogue, Pakistan and India have been engaged in back channel diplomacy as Kashmiri leaders and interlocutors are in contact with Hurriyat.

The sources of Foreign Office in Islamabad have confirmed former foreign secretary Riaz Mohammed Khan has been engaged in dialogue with Indian representatives in Hong Kong.

The president had given responsibility of restoration of the track II dialogue to Riaz Mohammed Khan.
According to the sources, in the first phase the sides were focusing on restoration of the composite dialogue and back channel diplomacy to create a consensus over the mechanism.

In second phase Kashmiri leaders would also taken into the fold of the dialogue and a Hurriyat delegation led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooque will visit Pakistan after Eid ul Azha.

“We will be visiting Pakistan immediately after Eid ul Azha. We want the separatist leadership other than Hurriyat to join us as well. Pakistan wants to get input from Kashmiri leadership before entering into any sort of composite dialogue with New Delhi.

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Back Channel Contacts for Pakistan and India Dialogue was first posted on November 18, 2009 at 4:04 pm.