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| Omar sees hope for the Valley in SM Krishna's Pak visit | | |
ABID SHAH
EARLY TIMES REPORT
NEW DELHI, July 14: External Affairs Minister SM Krishna who arrived in Islamabad today on a three-day visit to Pakistan at the invitation of Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mehmood Qureshi would also meet President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. This has been said in a statement released on Krishna's arrival in Pakistan to indicate that all issues could be taken up during the talks.
The statement sets the tone of this high level contact with Pakistan and it indicates a desire for deep and purposeful engagement with Pakistan besides India's willingness to discuss all issues while keeping paramount importance for Mumbai attack and bringing its culprits to the book.
The External Affairs Ministry made available the text of Krishna's statement here today. Though Kashmir does not figure in Krishna's today's statement, this also does not bar Pakistan from bringing it to the table. And this has been noted in Srinagar by no less a person than Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who has been grappling with fierce violent protests by the youth of the Valley for about a month now.
Quoting the visiting Indian Minister his statement released in New Delhi today says: "I am very pleased be in Pakistan on the invitation of my distinguished colleague, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Foreign Minister of Pakistan. This is an important visit as it marks the beginning of a new journey in our efforts to build a peaceful, friendly and cooperative relationship between our two countries.
"I bring with me the warm greetings of the people and Government of India for the well being of the people and Government of Pakistan. I would also like to convey our best wishes for a peaceful, prosperous and stable Pakistan.
"During my stay in Islamabad, I, along with my delegation, am looking forward to my meetings with Foreign Minister Qureshi and his delegation. We hope to discuss all issues of mutual interest and concern that can contribute to restoring trust and building confidence in our bilateral relationship.
"I also look forward to receiving feedback on the issues raised by our Home Minister during his visit to Pakistan last month on our core concern of terrorism, particularly in the light of the discussions our Home Minister had in Pakistan in the context of the interrogation of David Coleman Headley regarding the Mumbai terrorist attack. India is committed to resolving all issues with Pakistan through a peaceful dialogue and negotiations, based on mutual trust and confidence.
"I am also honoured by having the opportunity of calling on their Excellencies the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan.
"I am carrying with me a message of peace and friendship from the people of India and we hope to undertake this voyage of peace, however long and arduous, jointly with the Government and people of Pakistan."
This statement raises the profile of soft spoken, mild mannered Krishna's Islamabad visit, heightening expectations despite the skepticism that invariably accompanies any interaction between India and Pakistan.
Krishna is leading a full delegation of his Ministry officials with the Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao at the top of it. Rao has earlier invited her Islamabad counterpart Salman Bashir to New Delhi and reciprocated his visit by visiting Islamabad to lay ground for Krishna's current visit. These steps are result of a meeting between Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan in Bhutanese Capital Thimphu when the leaders of SAARC countries gathered for a summit meeting.
Prior to Krishna's today's visit, Foreign Minister of Pakistan has said that his country would raise the issue of alleged human rights violations on the Indian side of Kashmir. And since the present interaction is taking place soon after a new wave of violent protests in the Valley with India pointing to its links with Pakistan this too is bound to crop up. Attaching high expectations from Foreign Minister level talks in Islamabad, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has reiterated his earlier stance for talks on Kashmir among other things where he says that Jammu and Kashmir stood to be direct beneficiary in case India and Pakistan were able to resolve their differences and come to a settlement.
This may be distant. Yet, Omar in a long interview given to a news agency today made a strong plea for initiating talks with all stake holders in Kashmir including separatists and their cohorts who have taken to militancy. He has suggested that this process could be set out through a ceasefire as once has been the case in the past.
Given such optimism shown back home, Krishna's deliberations in Islamabad would be more keenly watched in the Kashmir Valley through next few days than any where else.
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