NEW DELHI – The United States judged that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was isolated within his own government over pushing for resumed talks with Pakistan, cables obtained by WikiLeaks revealed on Tuesday. The rival South Asian states suspended talks in 2008 after gunmen killed 166 people in Mumbai, and only agreed last month to resume their dialogue.
In an August 2009 diplomatic cable published by The Hindu newspaper, US ambassador Timothy Roemer reported that Singh was “more isolated than we thought within his own inner circle”. Roemer said Singh lacked allies because he was a “great believer” in communicating with Islamabad – in contrast to the then national security adviser MK Narayanan.
The prime minister said earlier this month he would approach new peace talks with an “open mind”, adding that all disputes including a long-running feud over Kashmir would be discussed. “We wish to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries through friendly dialogue,” he said. Pakistan’s new Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar is slated to visit her Indian counterpart SM Krishna in New Delhi in July at the start of the full-scale resumption of talks.
Opposition MPs in parliament attacked the government over cables sent by the US embassy to Washington in 2006 which reported on the “undeniable pro-American tilt” of a cabinet shuffle.
