Zardari meets Singh, urges result-oriented Pakistan, India talks

President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday said that Pakistan and India must make determined efforts and maintain focus to steer the dialogue process in a productive and result oriented manner, as India agreed to allow a judicial commission from Pakistan to cross-examine three witnesses related to the trial of 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab.
“We have covered a lot of ground but we still have to go a long way,” President Zardari remarked during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the 16th Summit of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM).
The president said that it was important to move beyond reiteration of positions to more substantive results, adding that Pakistan was committed to pursuing the process of dialogue and engagement with India.
He also said that Pakistan was keenly looking forward to Prime Minister Singh’s visit on an early date.
According to Indian media reports, Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said that Singh had accepted Zardari’s invitation, saying he will visit Pakistan at an appropriate time and with a full schedule.
The meeting between the two leaders was held amid clear indications that terrorism would be the prime focus of the Indian side, the reports said. “The government has a positive view on this request from Pakistan [to cross-examine 26/11 witnesses],” Mathai said.
He said that during the meeting, Singh urged Zardari to have an expeditious conclusion of the trial of seven accused in Pakistan in connection with the 26/11 attacks.
Zardari said the judicial requirements in Pakistan were slowing down the process and brought up again the issue of cross-examining three witnesses in India — the magistrate who recorded Kasab’s statement and two doctors involved in his examination.
During the meeting, Zardari appreciated Singh’s vision for a peaceful and prosperous South Asia and also shared Pakistan’s desire to have friendly, cooperative and good neighborly relations with India, as it has a deep interest in promoting peace and stability in the region.
Expressing his satisfaction at the completion of the second round of the resumed dialogue process, Zardari hoped that it would culminate with the foreign minister level meeting in Islamabad in September. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, who was also present on the occasion, later described the meeting between the two leaders, as “good”. “There is ample proof that the political leadership of the two countries is committed to improving and normalising ties with India,” she said. Khar added that Pakistan believes that it was the right approach and the requirement of the times and emerging regional situation to have better ties with all the countries, particularly those in the region. “It is important that we are able to move past the challenges of the past and move into a new era of cooperation and being able to resolve our disputes,” she said.