NEW DELHI — They came, they met, they disagreed. The first formal meeting Thursday between India and Pakistan since the terrorist attack on the Indian city of Mumbai 15 months ago saw no breakthrough, as expected, although both sides termed it a first step in building confidence.
“I would not characterize these talks as successful or unsuccessful,” Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir told reporters afterward. “We must pick up the pieces where this process was interrupted and try to rebuild trust.”
At first blush, however, the two delegations appeared more intent on talking over each other and repeating entrenched positions than in moving forward.
Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said in a separate news conference that she had urged Pakistan to do a better job of rooting out and prosecuting terrorists on its soil who are suspected of plotting attacks on India — particularly Hafiz Saeed, a militant leader whom India accused of orchestrating the Mumbai siege, in which gunmen killed 166 people.
India handed over dossiers on suspects it said Pakistan should pursue, including Saeed and an al-Qaeda-linked militant named Ilyas Kashmiri, who had issued threats against India and various Indian fugitives hiding in Pakistan.
“I stressed the importance of expeditious action by Pakistan on these issues,” Rao said.
Indian and Western analysts have long suspected that Pakistani intelligence agencies created and supported radical groups as part of their country’s proxy conflict with India over the disputed region of Kashmir.
Pakistan countered with calls for comprehensive negotiations involving issues beyond terrorism, with a particular focus on reaching a political agreement on Kashmir.
The talks at New Delhi’s Hyderabad House lasted nearly four hours, running overtime.
Rao declined to say whether the two nations’ prime ministers might soon meet, adding that the two sides did not discuss a road map for improved relations.
“We agreed to stay in touch,” she said. “We’re not talking about road maps.”
