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| Islamabad rift persists | | Pak Foreign Minister adopts tough posture | | From B L KAK
NEW DELHI, JULY 28: Pakistan is reported to have decided not to formally request India for a meeting of Foreign Secretaries in Dhaka next week on the sidelines of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) council of ministers.
India has yet to make such a submission as it called off the Foreign Secretary level meeting of the two countries that was scheduled for July 20 in New Delhi.
A meeting between the two heads of the delegations on the margins of the SAARC meetings has already been ruled out, as India will be represented at lower level while Pakistani Foreign Minister, Khurshid Kasuri, will represent Pakistan.
According to latest reports from Islamabad, Kasuri has categorically denied a meeting with an Indian official who does not have equal status. This has muted the possibility of breaking the deadlock in ties and peace process between Pakistan and India developed in the wake of Mumbai blasts of July 11.
These reports said that the preparatory committee meeting will be attended by Jalil Abbas Jilani, senior Director General of the Foreign Office, and Riffat Masood, Director Saarc, from Pakistan, while India has designated Preeti Saran to represent New Delhi in the meeting that is to commence on Saturday, July 30.
The committee will formulate agenda for the meeting of the foreign secretaries’ standing council to be held on the following day while the council of the ministers will met on August 2.
The ministerial meeting will be the highest get-together of the SAARC countries before the next year’s summit to be held in India sometime in April. In Islamabad's power corridors, it is feared that it would not augur well keeping in view the sharp differences the smaller member countries have with India on various subjects of SAARC spectrum and at bilateral level.
Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries of the two countries will be in Dhaka from July 31 to August 2 in connection with the preparations for the 14th SAARC Summit to be held in India next year. “Well, possibly,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman, Navtej Sarna, told reporters in New Delhi when asked whether Foreign Sectretary, Shyam Saran, is expected to meet his Pakistani counterpart, Riaz Mohammad Khan, in Dhaka next week.
Under the SAARC format, all Foreign Secretaries meet each other. Foreign Secretaries of the seven SAARC member countries will hold a meeting on July 31 and this will be followed by Foreign Minister-level meeting for the next two days. Minister of State for External Affairs, E Ahamed, will represent India at the meeting while Khursheed Kasuri will represent Pakistan.
Director General ISPR and Pakistan President’s Press Secretary, Major General Shaukat Sultan, has said that there is no active military threat to Pakistan from India and Islamabad feels very strongly that process of Composite Dialogue holds all ingredinets to reach to a logical conclusion. Shaukat Sultan was answering questions by members of Media and Think Tank delegation from Germany and Poland. The ten member delegation has come to Pakistan to ascertain first hand information about Pakistan’s role in war against terror, Pakistan-India peace process and the state of democracy in the country.
Replying to a question about Pakistan-India tension and Pakistan’s defence spendings, Shaukat Sultan said requirements and threat perceptions are two key factors that have been pushing Pakistan’s defence spendings up. “But contrary to last few years, this year, for the first time of history, country’s social spendings are double than the defence budget”, he said admitting that peace process with India has brought down Paistan's threat perception.
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