Islamabad, June 18: Pakistan will try to find a “common denominator” during upcoming talks with Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao without “forgetting” outstanding issues like Kashmir, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir has said.
“We do not have a prepared agenda. We will see what can be identified as doable and then take it to the Foreign Ministers’ level. In this meeting, we will try and find a common denominator,” Bashir said, referring to talks he will hold with Rao in Islamabad on June 24.
 “There has to be a comfort level on both sides which will help us pick up the doable for the Foreign Ministers. This does not mean we will forget other issues like Jammu and Kashmir,” Bashir told The News daily.
 India has said it is not going to discuss substantive issues like Kashmir with Pakistan in the proposed rounds of dialogue but is only attempting to create the “right atmosphere” for removing the trust deficit for a broad dialogue later.
 “We are not going to discuss substantive issues like Kashmir. As of now our effort is to create a right atmosphere. Only then some degree of trust can be created between the two countries,” highly-placed sources in the government had said last week in New Delhi.
 India suspended the composite dialogue in the wake of Mumbai attack and diplomatic sources have told PTI that the two countries are set to adopt a new format for future parleys.
 Bashir said Pakistan’s assessment suggested that the “Indian side will be more forthcoming” in next week’s meeting.
 “There are some indications that substantive matters would be discussed. This is good,” he said.
 He contended that India’s current “tone and tenor is more restrained,” as compared to the situation that prevailed following the Foreign Secretary-level talks in New Delhi in February.
 “The Indian leadership has made efforts to highlight the fact that they want better relations,” he said.
 Referring to efforts to build trust and confidence between the two countries, Bashir said both sides have a vision for peace and “have to look at the stark realities before them as we have to deal with real issues and start building the (peace) process brick by brick.”
 Bashir said Pakistan is not averse to giving another name to the composite dialogue process, which had led to progress on key areas like Kashmir and conventional and nuclear confidence-building measures.
 “If we agree on a process of engagement, like agreeing to start the process and agreeing on a fixed calendar of meetings, you can call it whatever you want,” he said.
 Referring to cooperation in tackling terrorism, Bashir said Pakistan and India could “look into an array of things instead of indulging in a blame game.”
 They can develop the “modalities of a framework for fighting terrorism” and revamp the existing Joint Anti-Terrorism Mechanism.
 Bashir indicated that the talks would be guided by the national interests of the two countries.
 “Pakistan wants development for which we need stability. This applies equally to India,” he said.

FRESH DOSSIER ON MUMBAI ATTACKS
 PTI adds from New Delhi: Meanwhile, India Friday handed over the eleventh dossier to Pakistan containing response to points raised by Islamabad over the Mumbai terror strikes and providing “additional information” on those involved in the attacks.
 “The Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan was called in the afternoon and handed over a set of responses to the six dossiers received from Pakistan on April 25, 2010 on the Mumbai terror attacks,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said.
 The dossier was handed over by Y K Sinha, Joint Secretary in-charge of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, to Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner Riffat Masood.
 Besides containing response to all the queries raised by Pakistan in their six dossiers given on April 25, India has also provided “additional information” on those involved in the Mumbai attacks, sources told PTI.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 18 Jun 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 19 Jun 2010 00:00:00 IST