External Affairs Minister S M Krishna Krishna left here for home on Sunday after concluding his three-day 'fruitful' visit to Pakistan during which the two countries made progress on people-to-people contact by inking pacts on a liberalised visa regime and cultural exchanges.
India and Pakistan signalled a desire beyond the rancour of the past by inking a pact for a liberalised visa regime though several core issues of both countries had not been addressed by the peace process that resumed last year, the Pakistani media said on Sunday.
Over 'ghazals' by maestro Ghulam Ali, foreign ministers of India and Pakistan dined at the end of their hectic deliberations on various bilateral issues in Islamabad.
A 14-year-old mentally challenged Christian girl, whose arrest on blasphemy charges had triggered a world-wide outcry, was released on Saturday from a Pakistani jail on bail. She was taken to an unknown location on a helicopter. Under strict security arrangements, Rimsha was transferred to the helicopter via a bullet-proof car after being released.
India on Saturday made it clear to Pakistan that the issue of the 2008 Mumbai attacks was still "very much on the table" and the matter cannot be "glossed over". It asserted that Pakistan must take action to bring to justice the perpetrators of the brazen assault on India's financial hub that left 166 people dead.
Pakistan on Saturday released all Indian fishermen who have completed their jail terms as a goodwill gesture for External Affairs Minister S M Krishna's visit to Islamabad. "All Indian fishermen who have completed their jail term have been released as a goodwill gesture for Krishna's visit," Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik said after signing the new liberalised visa agreement with the Indian minister.
India and Pakistan on Saturday agreed to adopt a forward-looking approach in normalising their ties, while recognising the need to "expeditiously" bring perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attack to justice. Both External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar emphasised the need for the two countries to set the sight on the future and not be held "hostage" by the past.
India on Saturday refused to give a firm commitment on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Pakistan, saying that the atmosphere has to be "ripe" and something "worthwhile" should come out from such a trip. Making it clear that Dr Singh was "not shying away" from visiting Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said the Indian premier had never put conditions for his Pakistan visit.
India and Pakistan on Saturday signed the much-awaited liberalised visa agreement, introducing for the first time group tourist and pilgrim visas, separate visas for businessmen and visa on arrival for those over 65 years of age. The new pact, signed between External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik, replaces a 38-year-old restrictive visa agreement and will pave the way for time-bound visa approval.
President Asif Ali Zardari has said the time has come for India and Pakistan to show greater understanding of each other's concerns and sensitivities and to "move beyond reiteration of their positions to more substantive results" in the peace process.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Friday arrived in Islamabad on a three-day visit to Pakistan to hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar, saying he had come with a mandate for building trust and confidence between the two countries. "I wish to reiterate the desire of India to see a stable and prosperous Pakistan living in peace with itself and the world. That would be in the best interest of everyone," Krishna said in an arrival statement.
The Pakistani authorities have deployed large contingents of soldiers and policemen at one of the country's largest nuclear facilities in Dera Ghazi Khan following 'serious' threats from the local Taliban, a media report said on Thursday.
A young Christian girl arrested on a blasphemy charge that has sparked an international outcry will remain in a high-security jail till at least Friday as the court hearing her case was adjourned on Monday.
An explosives-laden car rammed a vehicle leaving the United States Consulate in Peshawar city of northwest Pakistan on Monday, killing at least three persons and injuring over a dozen others, including foreigners. The incident occurred a short distance from the US Consulate and an office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees at Aabdara Road in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
Sixteen pro-Taliban militants were killed in clashes with security forces in Pakistan's restive tribal belt even as the country's north-west witnessed a string of violent incidents on Sunday. Troops killed seven militants and injured over a dozen more during an operation in Azam Warsak area of South Waziristan Agency, TV news channels quoted officials as saying.
Pakistani Taliban have beheaded 12 soldiers captured during a recent attack on a security check post in the restive Bajaur tribal region and released a video showing their severed heads, a militant spokesman said on Friday.
A powerful car bomb went off in a crowded market on the outskirts of Peshawar city in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing 12 people and injuring 14 more.
Pakistan is keen to sign a new visa agreement during External Affairs Minister S M Krishna's visit to Islamabad during September 7-9 for talks with Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, official sources said on Friday.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna will visit Pakistan for three days from September 7 to review the last round of the bilateral dialogue process with his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar, the Foreign Office announced on Friday. Krishna will be visiting Pakistan for "holding a review meeting with the Foreign Minister at her invitation," the Foreign Office said in a brief statement.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said he is sincerely hoping that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will "seriously" consider his request to join the government.
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