Singh urges adding a new chapter in Indo-Pak relations

The Indian Premier Manmohan Singh said Thursday that both India and Pakistan should open a new chapter in their relationship instead of wasting time on trading barbs. The assertion came after
an hour’s discussion between Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart, Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, on the sidelines of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit.

Being held in Indian Ocean archipelago of Maldives, this is the 17^th meeting of the SAARC grouping. Having India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and
Maldives as its members, SAARC, has however achieved a little in terms of economic cooperation in the region, let alone any progress on any other pressing issues.

However, it was in the start of this year that both the countries decided to normalize the relationship and go for the resart of peace talks which were terminated after the Mumbai attack
in 2008. One of the gestures that the relations were making progress was the return of the Indian helicopter and its crew last month that strayed across Pakistan’s borders.

Singh, on Thursday, struck a positive note about the meeting that he had with Yousuf Raza Gillani. He also expressed his hopes that the next round of the talks would be more productive.

“We have today had a very extensive discussion, and we welcome some positive movement but more needs to be done,” Singh said. “The next round of talks should be far more productive and far
more practical-orientated in bringing the two countries closer.”

There was already a positive gesture coming prior to the meeting between the two heads of their respective countries. Pakistani foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, on Wednesday categorically
said that there was no backtracking on the decision regarding granting the most favoured nation’s status to India.

“Let me categorically say that I don’t see a lot of room for confusion. We will not backtrack on a cabinet decision,” she told the Press Trust of India on Wednesday. Her assertion – part of
the effort to normalize ties with India, also paved the way for a more open talk on Thursday between the two premiers that last for an hour.

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Posted by Sajjad Hussain on Nov 10 2011. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry