Let’s bury the hatchet, Rehman Malik tells Manmohan Singh

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday and invited him to inaugurate a development project in Pakistan.

Malik, who arrived in India on a three-day visit on the invitation of Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, said he had come to India with a message of love and peace.

They two discussed matters pertaining to bilateral relations and the newly-signed visa agreement. They also discussed various options for improving relations between the two countries.

Malik was accompanied by Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Salman Bashir.

The interior minister Malik said Pakistan wanted to start a new era of relations by forgetting past bitterness.

Malik said his country wanted to work for peace between the two nations and in the entire region. He said both countries did not want incidents like the Mumbai attacks or Samjhauta Express happening ever again.

PM Singh said India wanted to build favourable ties with its neighbours, including Pakistan.

Malik invited the Indian prime minister to visit Pakistan and inaugurate a development project in his native village.

India and Pakistan on Friday operationalised a new regime guaranteeing liberalised visa protocol.

However, the visa-on-arrival would come into effect from January 15, 2013 and the group tourist visa from March 15, 2013.

On September 8, the governments of India and Pakistan signed the new visa agreement to facilitate travel for the nationals of both countries and for promoting people-to-people contact.

In an interview with NDTV, Malik said India and Pakistan would have to learn from their troubled past and look towards the future.

Malik said he had never compared the demolition of the Babri Mosque to Mumbai attacks, adding that his statement had been misunderstood.

Regarding the case of Saurabh Kalia, an officer in the Indian Army who died during the Kargil War, the minister said he was “willing” to have the case investigated.

“I only said circumstances of his death are disputed, I am asking for more information…I feel the pain of Captain Kalia’s father, I will definitely look into the matter,” Malik said.

On the issue of Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, he said Pakistan needed evidence against him which could stand in court.

He said though Saeed had been arrested earlier, he had been released by courts and that the government respected the orders of the judiciary.

On the accord sealed by India and Pakistan for easing visa restrictions for travellers, the minister said the agreement would lead to mutual cooperation between the two countries.

Malik added that the two countries could ensure lasting peace by putting the issues of past behind.

The interior minister said Indian National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing into the 26/11 attacks was likely to visit Pakistan in mid-January, while a Pakistani judicial panel could visit India next week.

“And yesterday we have worked out a way forward so that the (Pakistani) judicial commission may come next week,” Malik told NDTV.

“Let the director general of Federal Investigation Agency and NIA sit together and resolve issues,” he said.

Shinde had raised the issue of NIA team’s visit during his meeting with Malik on the sidelines of the SAARC ministerial meeting in the Maldives in September.

The NIA wishes to go to Pakistan to examine material evidence against key masterminds and accused in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that claimed 166 lives.

Malik said Shinde had taken up matter of voice samples of the 26/11 handlers, which India hopes to match with the ones on tape giving directions during the 2008 attacks.

The ministry said according to Pakistani law, voice samples “cannot be given unless the permission is given by accused himself”.

“We have moved the high court on the matter of (Lashkar-e-Tayyaba commander Zakiur Rehman) Lakhvi’s voice sample and it is pending there,” he said, adding that the high court was reminded two weeks ago.

To a question on hastening the trial of the seven people, including Lakhvi in a Rawalpindi court, he said: “We are trying our best to have the trial on a day-to-day basis. That application is before the court.”