The two-day meeting at the level of the interior secretaries of Pakistan and India was preceded by two goodwill gestures on the part of Pakistan. On Sunday President Zardari, responding to a humanitarian call from an Indian Supreme Court bench remitted the sentence of Indian prisoner Gopal Das. The same day Pakistan Interior Secretary visiting the Golden Temple announced that the Pakistan government had cancelled a Gurdawara land acquisition deal in Lahore in accordance with the wishes of the members of the Sikh community.
While official circles in Pakistan have set their sights on the resumption of composite dialogue, little more than an improvement in atmospherics is likely to emerge from the talks. Hopefully the meeting will hold an initial review of the issues pressed by both sides and decide on a time table to hold talks on them. India has been keen on action by Pakistan against those who planned the Mumbai attacks. It might not, however, overstress the issue after the material provided to link the attacks with certain individuals in Pakistan, considered to contain Grade-I evidence by former National Security Adviser M K Narayanan, turned out to be less than so when presented before the Mumbai High Court. The issue was highlighted in the fresh WikiLeaks cables published on Sunday. Meanwhile, new evidence has brought to light the existence of saffron terrorists involved in the Samjhota Express incident and in other terrorist attacks. This has weakened the Indian stand that terrorists from Pakistan have monopoly over the crimes of violence in India.
The formidable list of issues that are likely to be taken up at the talks comprises terrorism, smuggling of narcotics, fake Indian currency notes, progress in the Mumbai terror attack trial in Pakistan, visa policy, release of prisoners, sharing enquiry into the Samjhota Express case with Pakistan, Indias involvement in Balochistan and construction of small dams in Indian Held Kashmir. The meeting would strengthen hopes in the new process of talks if a move is made to relax the visa regime made stringent by India after the Mumbai attacks.
