India, Pakistan to hold exploratory talks in Thimphu

New Delhi: The foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan are set to meet today in the Bhutanese capital in what is seen as an "exploratory mission" by New Delhi to revive the dialogue process that is stalled over two years after the Mumbai terrorist attack.

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao yesterdayflew to Thimphu for the meeting of the eight-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). She is expected to hold bilateral talks with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir on Sunday.

The talks could set the stage for a meeting between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmoud Qureshi in New Delhi later this year. The visit could take place in March.

Qureshi is not visiting Thimphu for the SAARC foreign ministers' meeting on Tuesday. Krishna will represent India.

The meeting between the foreign secretaries will be the first official talks to revive the dialogue process since the meeting between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan broke down in recriminations in Islamabad July 15 last year.

According to sources, the Thimphu meeting will outline a tentative agenda of talks on less contentious issues like trade and Sir Creek to keep a limited dialogue going until Pakistan delivers on 26/11 justice.

The two sides may agree to a dialogue on terror-related issues between the home secretaries. The two sides may also agree to separate meetings of commerce secretaries, culture secretaries water resources secretaries.

Ahead of the talks, Rao put justice for the Mumbai terror attack victims on top of the agenda. In the run-up to the foreign secretary-level talks, she met Home Minister Chidambaram Friday.

"This is an ongoing effort. This is an ongoing exercise. We hope that both the governments come to satisfactory conclusion about what is required so that the trial could be satisfactorily concluded because justice has to be done," she said.