26/11 trial in Pakistan gets push
The two sides also agreed on “early meetings” of the directors-general
By : sridhar kumaraswami
Update: 2015-07-11 02:15 GMT
New Delhi: The progress on the Mumbai attacks trial in Pakistan will include providing “additional information like providing voice samples, which is being seen as a major development. The two sides also agreed on “early meetings” of the directors-general of the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers, followed by that of the DGMOs of the two armies, probably as a confidence-building measure given the frequent tensions at the LoC and international border in Jammu and Kashmir.
The two sides also decided a decision on the release of fishermen in each others custody, along with their boats, within a period of 15 days would be taken along with the establishment of a mechanism for facilitating religious tourism. The two foreign secretaries, S. Jaishankar and Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, read out parts of a statement prepared jointly by the two sides.
While there was a prominent reference to terror and the Mumbai attack case trial, there was no reference to Kashmir, although the mention of a proposed discussion on “all outstanding issues” is expected to include it.
According to reports from Ufa, the Indian side was appreciative of Mr Sharif saying he had taken a statesmanlike stand, which would bode well for promoting bilateral ties.
Mr Sharif apparently said “yes” on being asked whether he was happy over Friday’s developments. The Pakistan foreign office spokesman said in Islamabad the Modi-Sharif meeting was a “positive development”.
Sources in the Indian security establishment in New Delhi said, however, that the Pakistan Army and ISI will need to crack down on terror directed against India from Pakistani soil, with sources indicating they are not very optimistic of a genuine change of heart in the Pakistan security setup that does not really trust Prime Minister Sharif. But Modi’s attempt to reach out to the Pakistan PM could bolster Mr Sharif’s own authority in Pakistan as the head of the democratically-elected civilian government.
Sharif faces fire in Pakistan:
After initially welcoming Friday’s meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, leaders and media in Pakistan have criticised the government over the absence of any mention of the vexed Kashmir issue in the joint statement.
Sharif met Modi in the Russian city of Ufa on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation following which a joint statement was issued that mentioned terrorism and the need to expedite the Mumbai trial but Kashmir was conspicuously missing in it. Shah Mehmood Qureshi, former foreign minister and leader of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, told private Express TV channel that Kashmir should have been mentioned in the joint communique. “It is quite strange that Kashmir has not been part of the statement,” he said.
Senator Rehman Malik of Pakistan People's Party said that Modi was disrespectful towards Sharif and behaved like a Tsar, forcing the Pakistani premier to walk through a long corridor to come towards his “throne”. “Modi didn’t show the slightest courtesy under diplomatic norms for his Pakistani counterpart to walk a few steps forward to receive him,” he said. Talat Hussain, anchor of Geo TV, said that it was Sharif’s failure to get Kashmir mentioned in the joint statement. He said it looked as if Sharif was just trying to please Modi. “I think government was in a hurry to get a positive response from India,” he said. Senator Sehar Kamran, who heads Centre for Pakistan and Gulf Studies think-tank also criticised the joint statement.