India and Pakistan’s first official talks since the 2008 Mumbai attacks moved relations out of the diplomatic deep freeze, but left both sides at loggerheads on how to take the dialogue forward.
Expectations had been low even before Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao sat down with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir on Thursday, and their subsequent briefings made it clear that there had been little attempt to address any substantive issues.
The Indian side, aware that its offer of talks had been criticized in some quarters as a sign of weakness, said the bulk of the meeting had consisted of pressing Islamabad to combat militancy.
Pakistan complained about India’s “narrow focus” on terrorism and highlighted its attempt to bring the conversation around to other issues, including the long-running dispute over Kashmir.
“New round, old story,” was the front-page verdict of the Hindustan Times on the discussions that ended with vague promises to “remain in touch,” despite Pakistan’s desire for a return to a comprehensive peace dialogue.
Pakistani newspapers were even more dismissive and largely critical of India’s refusal to resume a full dialogue.
“Meaningless talks end in meaningless way,” the English-language the Nation said.
Pakistan’s most respected newspaper Dawn ran a nuanced editorial, picking through the two countries’ turbulent history, apportioning blame and doling out advice to both parties.
“While nothing concrete was officially agreed, the very fact that the sides have met should be considered a good thing,” it said.
Washington, which was widely seen as playing a key role in bringing the two sides back together, put a positive spin on the outcome, describing it as an “important step” towards normalization.
“We certainly hope that both countries will build on this dialogue in the weeks and months ahead,” US Department of State spokesman Philip Crowley said.
US encouragement is largely based on concerns that an unstable relationship with India will force Pakistan to divert resources from the fight with the Taliban on its border with Afghanistan.
Analysts also saw some cause for optimism, despite the absence of any framework for taking the talks forward.
“I think that under the circumstances, this is as positive an outcome as was possible. Though there was no breakthrough, there was no breakdown,” Indian analyst C.U. Bhaskar from the National Maritime Foundation think-tank said.
While the discussions were little more than “statements of positions,” they did at least have the merit of being made face-to-face, Bhaskar said.
India froze all official dialogue with Pakistan after the November 2008 Mumbai carnage in which 10 Islamist gunmen targeted the country’s financial capital, killing 166 people.
India blamed the attack on Pakistan-based militants and said talks could only resume if Islamabad took concrete steps to bring those responsible to justice and cracked down on groups operating on its soil.
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