India, Pak decide revive stalled dialogue, NSAs to meet

From Ajay Kaul 
Ufa (Russia)

In a breakthrough, India and Pakistan today decided to revive the stalled dialogue process and find ways to expedite trial of the Mumbai attack case as Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif agreed to cooperate to eliminate terrorism from South Asia.

Modi and Sharif, in their first bilateral talks in over an year, met for nearly one hour here on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and discussed entire gamut of issues between the two countries.

Significantly, Foreign Secretaries S Jaishankar and Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry held a joint press meet where they read out a joint statement on the outcome of the much-anticipated meeting between the two leaders.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz will meet in New Delhi to discuss all issues connected to terrorism, the statement said.

“Both sides agreed to discuss ways and means to expedite the Mumbai case trial including additional information like providing voice samples,” the statement said.

Modi accepted Sharif’s invitation to visit Pakistan for the SAARC summit next year.(PTI)

Statement read out by Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan in Ufa, Russia

The Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India met today on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Ufa.The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere.The two leaders exchanged views on issues of bilateral and regional interest.

They agreed that India and Pakistan have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and promote development.To do so, they are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues.

Both leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and agreed to cooperate with each other to eliminate this menace from South Asia.

They also agreed on the following steps to be taken by the two sides:

1. A meeting in New Delhi between the two NSAs to discuss all issues connected to terrorism.

2. Early meetings of DG BSF and DG Pakistan Rangers followed by that of DGMOs.

3. Decision for release of fishermen in each other’s custody, along with their boats, within a period of 15 days.

4. Mechanism for facilitating religious tourism.

5. Both sides agreed to discuss ways and means to expedite the Mumbai case trial, including additional information like providing voice samples.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reiterated his invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Pakistan for the SAARC Summit in 2016.Prime Minister Modi accepted the invitation.