India on Sunday said that Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao is likely to meet her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir on the sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Standing Committee meeting in Bhutan early in February. This comes ahead of a possible visit by Pakistan Foreign Minister S M Qureshi to India. The foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan are likely to meet in Thimpu on the sidelines of the SAARC Standing Committee meeting on February 6-7.
Ahead of Premier Wen Jiabao's upcoming visit, India on Friday hoped that China realises the need to show more sensitivity on core issues that impinge on the country's 'sovereignty and territorial integrity', as raised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said the two countries were also putting in place more confidence building measures to tackle the vexed boundary issue, for which India is making a serious attempt.
Dubbing terrorism emanating from across the border as "Frankenstein's monster", India on Thursday said Pakistan has not taken enough steps to control the menace, which is out to harm it.
India has assured Sri Lanka of its support to the process of resettlement and rehabilitation of Tamil civilians displaced due to the war and pushed for a political solution to the decades-old ethnic question.
India has demanded stopping "forthwith" the "patronage of powerful forces and institutions" within Pakistan to the groups involved in anti-India acts, saying it faces "hostile forces" from across the border with that country.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao on Monday said that New Delhi would continue to give more financial aid to Sri Lanka for rehabilitation and reconstruction of the war-ravaged Tamil-dominated northern areas.
The uncertainty over the fate of the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill in Parliament has caused a considerable amount of concern to members of the United States-India Business Council, as some of them had lobbied feverishly in the US Congress to get the agreement approved.USIBC President Ron Somers voiced his concerns at an interaction with Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, during her six-day visit to the United States
Besides reflecting an "essential continuity" to the ties, the visit will also provide another opportunity to consolidate all that have been built by two countries in the past decade, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said while addressing a gathering in New Delhi.
Setting a positive tone ahead of their meeting in Thimpu, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir on Sunday said they would endeavour to find a way forward for continued engagement between the two countries.
"The next round of talks has not been scheduled as yet. It will be done shortly. We hope to finalise the agreement at the earliest," said Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao when asked about the status of the procedural agreement under the 123 civil-nuclear pact between India and the US.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had a hectic second day at the SAARC Summit in Thimphu, where he held meetings with various Heads od State.
Striking a positive note ahead of the India-Pakistan talks, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir on Monday said Islamabad would extend all required cooperation to India on the terror issue and share related information.
With India offering to hold foreign secretary level talks, Pakistan's High Commissioner Shahid Malik on Friday met Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao to finalise the dates for the meeting.India has proposed two set of dates in February and is awaiting a response from Pakistan over them, sources said. Reflecting a thaw in bilateral relations, Rao had telephoned her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir about a week ago to invite him to Delhi for talks.Bashir had welcomed the offer.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who faced trolling on social media in the wake of India and Pakistan reaching an understanding on May 10 to halt all military actions, has received support from veteran diplomat Nirupama Menon Rao, a body of Indian diplomats and a host of politicians from several parties.
Making the first effort to bridge the trust deficit between the two countries, Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan discussed all issues of mutual concern with New Delhi flagging its core concern of terrorism emanating from that country on Thursday.
Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan on Tuesday held consultations to finalise the agenda for the meeting between their foreign ministers on Wednesday during which they will discuss Confidence Building Measures and India's concerns on terror and Jammu and Kashmir.
Barely minutes before the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan met for crucial and significant day-long talks at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir said both Balochistan and Kashmir will be on the agenda for Thursday's talks.Bashir made these remarks shortly before leaving his hotel for Hyderabad House. Bashir is leading a four-member delegation in the talks to be held with Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao.
Pakistan will try to find a 'common denominator' during the 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.
Pakistan was on Thursday dismissive of India's attempts to raise fresh evidence of Inter Service Intelligence's links to the 26/11 attacks at the upcoming foreign secretary-level talks, stating clearly that the agenda would be limited to three issues: Kashmir, peace and security and friendly exchanges.
Hoping that India and Pakistan could come to a satisfactory conclusion about what is required for the 26/11 trial to go ahead, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao on Friday said that 'justice has to be done' by bringing to book all those responsible for Mumbai terror strikes.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani held 'very good talks' in a 'free and frank' manner, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told reporters, after the two leaders met on the sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit, for 50 minutes on Thursday.Dr Singh told Gilani that cooperation between the two nations was vital for the progress of SAARC's goals and peace in south Asia.
India on Tuesday reacted strongly to Pakistan terming New Delhi's demand for action against all those responsible in 26/11 Mumbai attacks as 'outdated,' saying the country was consistent about this and Pakistan knows this.
India and Pakistan must focus on a creative and realistic approach as they begin the long haul of normalising relations following a constructive meeting of their Foreign Secretaries, the Pakistani media and analysts said on Friday. News reports of the coordial meeting between Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir dominated the front pages of the dailies.
According to an Indian government source, there is no way any Indian administration will ever de-link talks from terror. In fact, neither can the Pakistani government.
Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao met her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Thursday to kick off a dialogue between the two countries after a hiatus of 14 months. India had suspended the composite dialogue with Pakistan after the terror attack on Mumbai on November 26, 2008, which was planned and carried out by Pakistani terrorists.
India is likely to put before Pakistan a set of specific demands related to tackling terrorism when their foreign secretaries meet next week, and Delhi's political circles believe that its response will determine the future course of such talks. Expectations from the talks between Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir, to be held in New Delhi on February 25, are 'realistic', informed sources said.
The Cabinet Committee on Security today took stock of the situation arising out of the Pune bomb blast and is understood to have discussed issues related to the upcoming foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan.
India has told Pakistan that the proposed talks with it will focus on terrorism and other issues "hurting" bilateral relations and has given no indication about the full-fledged resumption of the stalled composite dialogue process, official sources said on Friday.
Officials in the government, whether in the Civil Services or the Armed Forces, follow the laid down guidelines, and release information as quickly as possible. The media will not then 'overplay' the events.
Pakistan has indicated its readiness for the foreign secretary-level talks on February 25, saying the two sides need to 'move forward' but insisted on resumption of composite dialogue covering Kashmir and other outstanding issues that is 'meaningful and result-oriented.'
At the end of discussions at the foreign secretary level between Indian and Pakistan in Islamabad, which were focused on peace and security, India pointed out that terrorism had complicated the Indo-Pak relationship. India has urged Islamabad not to follow a segmented approach.
India's concerns over terror and slow pace of Mumbai trial were discussed in the first round of Indo-Pak foreign secretary-level talks dealing with the issue of peace and security during which the Samjhuta bomb blast case also came up with both sides holding "substantive" deliberations in a "forward looking" approach.
India and Pakistan on Sunday night agreed on the need for constructive talks to resolve all outstanding issues after a fresh round of parleys in an attempt to infuse new life to their stalled dialogue process.
Ahead of the foreign secretary- level talks, India said on Monday that it was ready to explore a "meaningful" relationship with Pakistan if it seriously addressed the threat of terrorism and stops terror acts against this country.
In an ice-breaking decision that could end the post-26/11 stalemate, India has offered to have Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan to discuss terrorism and any other issue that could lead to peace between the two neighbours.
Reacting sharply to Pakistan's critical remarks over India's endorsement by the United States for United Nations Security Council, India has expressed its 'disappointment' and said they reflected the 'trust deficit' between the two countries.
Reacting sharply to Pakistan's critical remarks over India's endorsement by the United States for United Nations Security Council, India has expressed its 'disappointment' and said they reflected the 'trust deficit' between the two countries.
India and the United States will hold the second round of their strategic dialogue in New Delhi on April 6 during which US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would lead the American side, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has announced in Washington.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao met her US counterpart William Burns and discussed a wide range of bilateral issues, including counter-terrorism and the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's proposed visit to America in November.
Since Pakistan is in the middle of an intense regional and internal issue, the Rao-Bashir talks are not the "major attraction" in Islamabad, reports Sheela Bhatt from the Pakistani capital
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