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Your Say: Should India hold talks with Pak?

February 05, 2010 19:40 IST
On Thursday India sought to end the 14-month stalemate with Pakistan and offered to hold foreign secretary-level talks. The composite dialogue between the two countries was suspended by India after Pakistani terrorists attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008.

India intends to raise terrorism and other 'relevant issues' while Pakistan says the bilateral talks will have to include the long-standing disputes over Kashmir and sharing of river water.

India's sudden change of mind -- it had repeatedly ruled out talks with Pakistan till the latter nation took concrete steps to dismantle the terror infrastructure on its soil -- provokes many questions.

What prompted the Manmohan Singh government to suddenly alter its stand?

Should India have agreed to talk to Pakistan, which has failed to prosecute the mastermind of the 26/11 attacks, and is dragging its feet over trying the rest of the accused?

Did New Delhi bow down to pressure from the United States, which has often urged the two nations to resume their dialogue? A better India-Pakistan relationship, Washington hopes, will motivate the Pakistan army to move more troops to its border with Afghanistan and help US troops rein in the Taliban.

Will India's talks with Pakistan on the issue of terrorism yield any results, given the infamous nexus between that country's Inter Services Intelligence directorate and the merchants of terror?

Of the many unresolved issues between the two neighbours, what do you think are the five points that India should bring to Pakistan's immediate attention?

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