Focus was on terrorism, especially revelations by recently-arrested LeT operative Zabiuddin Ansari on Pakistan’s involvement in Mumbai terror attacks, and Jammu and Kashmir on the first day of talks between the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan.
Refusing to divulge any details of the deliberations, the official spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs, Syed Akabaruddin, only said the Foreign Secretaries, along with their respective delegations, have had “two full sessions of detailed discussions covering all aspects of the agenda under the items Peace and Security as well as Jammu and Kashmir.”
At the end of the two sessions today, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani have agreed to resume the talks tomorrow in the morning with a view to completing all the items scheduled for consideration, he added.
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According to official sources, India flagged its concern over anti-India terror activities being planned from Pakistani soil in the backdrop of the arrest of the LeT terrorist who has revealed that he, along with LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, was in the control room in Karachi during 26/11 Mumbai carnage in which 166 people were killed.
The Foreign Secretaries were assisted by senior officials of both the sides, including the Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal and Pakistan’s High Commissioner-designate to India Salman Bashir.
India is also understood to have reiterated its concern over the slow pace of Mumbai terror attacks trial in Pakistan.
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The two sides also talked about confidence-building measures, including in trade and travel and nuclear fields.