This time around India and Pakistan have really agreed to resolve their long standing disputes and to get the stalled peace talks back on track.
Meeting for the second time in less than four months, both Indian and Pakistani foreign secretaries Nirupama Roy and Salman Bashir, after exchanging pleasantries, agreed that compared to their unpleasant, useless, ineffective and futile parleys of their past, this time around their parleys were really very cordial and actually very constructive. "Unlike our previous meetings, which were vitiated by our talking without understanding each other, this time around we really tried to understand each other's position and concerns." saith both of them very cordially to the press.
Addressing a joint news conference after winding up secretary-level talks, Bashir said "This time around, both the sides really re-viewed, re-examined, re-valued and re-capped comprehensively all the issues of concern and discussed ways to re-continue confidence-building measures." He said both the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours have really agreed to enlarge coordination with each other to re-solve long disputed issues and to really re-turn peace negotiations back on track.
Bashir said unlike their previous meetings which were marred by lack of warmth, unfriendliness, insincerity, frivolousness, indifference and apathy, this time around their meeting was marked with a great deal of cordiality, sincerity and earnestness and their dialogue, which during their earlier meetings, used to be destructive, unproductive, pointless and a big waste of time, was actually very constructive. “Unlike in the past, when we used to half-heartedly and incomprehensively review the state of our bilateral relations, this time around we have been able to really review the state of our relations comprehensively. This time around, we actually touched upon all issues of concern and interests.” he said.
Nirupama Rao told reporters that this time around both the countries should really emphasise on reviving the disrupted composite dialogue process. “We really discussed modalities for restoring of trust and really agreed that dialogue process is the only way forward,” she said.
She said that compared to previous sham assurances, which all turned out to be outright lies, this time around Pakistani prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had really assured his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh in April that Pakistan won’t allow its soil to be used for terrorist activities against India. “But this time around, we genuinely believe that the Pakistani Prime Minister has made an important commitment and what we also really believe is that we should really work together towards our goal of re-solving outstanding issues,” she said.
"Unlike in the past, when we used to voice our concerns on terrorism falteringly, haltingly, hesitantly and incoherently, this time around, we eloquently, lucidly, clearly and effectively articulated India's core concerns on terrorism and really made it clear to Pakistan that the trial of the seven Pakistanis terror suspects linked to Mumbai attacks should really proceed and that justice should be really done." said Rao.
Expressing optimism that this time around, the dialogue process will really lead to peace, she said, “Unlike in the past when I used to wish for a weaker and unstable Pakistan, this time around I'm really looking forward to a stronger and stable Pakistan.”
But despite the really promising prospects of India and Pakistan resolving their disputes this time around, officials from India and Pakistan said that this time too there was no major breakthrough during Thursday's talks in Islamabad, despite both sides having really created a favorable climate for the upcoming meetings to get peace talks back on track.
Analysts speculated that this time too the best outcome of this meeting would merely be more talks in future which would really be even more cordial and even more constructive than the current talks and as a result, in comparison, the present talks will look useless, unproductive and pointless.