NEW YORK: India on Sunday described the meeting between prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Manmohan Singh as “constructive and useful,” after the two South Asian leaders held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
New Delhi’s National Security Advisor, Shiv Shankar Menon said that the two sides agreed on the need to enforce ceasefire along the Line of Control in Kashmir. He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invited Prime Minister Sharif to visit India and the Pakistani leader also invited Manmohan Singh to visit Pakistan.He told a post-meeting Press conference that the two leaders accepted the invitations but no time has been set for the visits.Peace and tranquility on the Line of Control is a pre-requisite for any progress in the stalled peace process between the two nations, Menon added.
He said the Pakistani prime minister also raised the issue of Siachen and Sir Creek. The Indian NSA said the two leaders decided to task their respective DGMOsto suggest effective means to enforce ceasefire in the disputed Kashmir region.According to the Indian advisor, the two leaders reviewed the sate of relations and discussed what steps are necessary for going forward.India also brought up the issue of bringing justice to Mumbai 2008 bombingperpetrators.Menon told journalists that Pakistan said it intended to follow the case now that the judicial commission is back from India.
Balochistan was also mentioned in the meeting, he said, adding there is noquestion of India interfering in Pakistan’s internal affairs.“My impression it was a useful and constructive meeting.”“We need to fix the issues first in order to move” forward, he said, noting there is a desire on both sides to move forward.“We can work hard in the next few months,” he said, when pressed if the twosides discussed specific steps that could help revival of composite dialogue and peace process.“Today, we have to deal with the overwhelming issue on the Line of Controlin Kashmir, we dealt with the immediate task (of addressing issues).” – APP
