Singh and Zardari set to meet

India and Pakistan flags
Talks between the two countries collapsed after the Mumbai attacks

The leaders of India and Pakistan are scheduled to meet in what would be their first encounter since last November's Mumbai attacks.

India's PM Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari are expected to meet on the sidelines of a summit in the Russian city of Yekatarinburg.

More than 170 people died in the Mumbai attacks, including nine gunmen.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated sharply after after Delhi said the attackers were from Pakistan.

Pakistan denied any responsibility in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, but later admitted that the attacks had been partly planned from its soil.

The sole surviving suspected gunman is Pakistani and is currently on trial in Mumbai.

'Mend fences'

Indian PM Manmohan Singh said earlier this month that his government would seek to mend fences with Pakistan provided it cracked down on militants.

Mr Singh's statement indicated no dramatic shift in policy, correspondents say.

On his part, Mr Zardari has urged India to resume bilateral talks "unconditionally". He has said it was in the interest of both nations to keep alive the dialogue on all issues, including terrorism.

Mr Singh, who is in Yekaterinburg to attend two international meetings, is expected to convey his "unhappiness" over Pakistan's "inaction" against terrorism directed at India during his meeting with Mr Zardari on Tuesday, reports say.

Media reports in India say Indian officials are refusing to speculate about what might emerge from the 30-minute meeting between Mr Singh and Mr Zardari.

"We are against setting markers because all we do is feed the enemies of peace, who then know what they have to do to stop the process," an official was quoted as saying by The Hindu newspaper.

India pulled out of talks with Pakistan following the Mumbai attacks.

It has since accused Pakistan of "not being serious enough" about bringing the perpetrators behind the Mumbai attack to justice.

The recent release on bail of Hafiz Saeed, the head of the Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa, has further worsened relations between the two countries.

The charity is accused of being a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group India says was behind the attacks.

Jamaat-ud-Dawa - listed by the US as a terrorist organisation - denies any links with militants.



Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Hits Counter

Blog Archive