At the talks between Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir aimed at ending the chill in bilateral ties, the two sides noted the "trust deficit" in the ties and decided to remain in touch and continue the endeavour to restore trust.

India gave three dossiers to Pakistan containing the names of 34 terrorists wanted in India, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed, with a demand for handing them over. Another dossier dealt with the threats issued by militant Ilyas Kashmiri, Nirupama Rao added. "And we gave them a dossier on fugitives from Indian law who are in Pakistan, some already in Pakistan’s know and a few new names."

India: time not ripe to resume composite dialogue

India told Pakistan that time was "not yet ripe" to resume the composite dialogue process saying Islamabad has not done enough to investigate the conspiracy behind the Mumbai attack and to curb the activities of terror organizations on its soil.

Rao said that Pakistan had to take "expeditious" action, including following up on the leads that have emerged following the arrest in the US of David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana. Headley and Rana have been accused of being part of Lashkar-e-Taiba and taking part in the planning of the Mumbai terror attacks.

Pakistan: New Delhi provided literature, not evidence

Pakistan welcomed the Indian "focus on terrorism" but said it had done what was "proper" to investigate and put on trial the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks.

"My very presence here today underscores the fact that Pakistan looks forward to stopping and reversing this regression that has taken place in our relationship," Bashir said. "And we have always said and believe most sincerely that the only way forward is through a resumption of a meaningful and purposeful engagement."

Bashir also pointed out that Indian evidence against Hafiz Saeed was not enough to prosecute him for the Mumbai attacks and what New Delhi had given was "literature rather than evidence".

When Pakistan raised the Kashmir issue, Rao told her counterpart that India believed in resolving all outstanding issues between the two countries through bilateral dialogue in "an atmosphere free of terror and violence".

Observers: engagement is crucial

Analyst Uday Bhaskar says the dialogue is important. "Given the anxiety that state sponsored terrorism generates in India, my sense is that talks between the foreign secretaries are desirable because they provide an official framework in which India and Pakistan can engage. So what these talks have really led to, and I think this is a silver lining to a very dark cloud, is that India and Pakistan are engaged at the appropriate official level."

Despite the post-Mumbai freeze, the foreign secretaries and foreign ministers of the two estranged neighbors have met earlier on the sidelines of multilateral summits. The interactions focused primarily on actions taken by Islamabad against the 26/11 terrorists. Now, the future trajectory of engagement between the two neighbours will be keenly watched.

Author: Murali Krishnan (New Delhi)
Editor: Thomas Baerthlein