PM likely to convey displeasure to Gilani over Pak inaction

V Mohan Narayan
Thimphu, Apr 27 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is
likely to meet his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on
sidelines of the SAARC Summit here and is expected to convey
India's disillusionment over Pakistan not acting against the
Mumbai attack suspects and its failure to take credible steps
to dismantle terror infrastructure on its soil.
The meeting may take place on Wednesday but that is
subject to Singh's arrival well before the inauguration of the
16th SAARC Summit which is slated for 2:30 p.m.
The Prime Minister is expected to utilise the occasion to
do some plainspeaking with Gilani and seek an update on the
progress in the 26/11 probe.
India is unhappy with Pakistan maintaining that there was
nothing new in the dossiers handed over by India at the
February 25 Foreign Secretary-level talks in New Delhi.
New Delhi feels that it has given enough evidence to
Pakistan to act against 26/11 mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa
chief Hafeez Saeed who is moving around freely and has been
making anti-India statements.
Concerns over spurt in infiltration levels and
intelligence inputs of possible terror attacks in Jammu and
Kashmir and other parts of the country is also expected to be
conveyed to the Pakistani side.
On its part, Pakistan has indicated that it will raise
the issue of water-sharing and other issues.
Officials said the interaction will be exploratory in
nature giving the two sides an opportunity to put across their
respective stands.
While Pakistan is keen to restart the Composite Dialogue
process halted by India after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, India
feels that the time is not ripe for it.
"We would like to reactivate the engagement process if
the meeting between the two leaders takes place," Pakistan
Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said.
The Pakistan side is not pinning hopes on any
breakthrough during this meeting. "It may not yield instant
results but if the Composite Dialogue process between the two
countries is reactivated, it will be a positive development,"
he said.
This will not be a structured meeting, officials said.
Ahead of his trip, Singh also gave enough indications of
such a meeting happening only because the two leaders are
participating in the summit of the eight-member grouping.
"We will be coming under one roof. So, if we come at the
same time, it is inevitable that we will run into each other,"
Singh had said in New Delhi.

Though the meeting has not been finalised, there have
been enough indications from both sides on the possibility of
Singh and Gilani meeting during the summit.
When asked about the possibility of a meeting Monday,
External Affairs Minister of India S M Krishna said he was not
ruling it out.
If they meet, Singh and Gilani would hold talks for the
first time since their meeting in Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt
last year during which the controversial joint statement with
a mention of Balochistan was issued.
The two leaders had exchanged pleasantries during the
Nuclear Security Summit in Washington a fortnight back, but
did not have any discussions.
The Pakistani side is expected to raise the issue of
Kishanganga water dispute and India would respond to it,
sources said.
Pakistan has been alleging that a power project being
constructed on Kishanganga river in Jammu and Kashmir violates
the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, that governs sharing of common
river waters.
India has rejected the allegation but Pakistan has lately
threatened to move the World Bank for arbitration. PTI VMN
KAB