India shouldn`t hold back ties on Mumbai issue: Pak For Sec

Betwa Sharma

New York, Sep 27 (PTI) With India insisting on concrete
steps against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan
has said New Delhi should not hold the relationship back on
a single issue as it has done what was "required" in the case.

"The question is how do we move beyond this point. The
relationship cannot be held or brought to a standstill because
of a trial or one investigation," Pakistan Foreign Secretary
Salman Bashir told PTI after meeting his Indian counterpart
Nirupama Rao here Saturday.

Bashir described the meeting, which came a day before
the crucial talks between the foreign ministers of the two
countries, as "useful" that helped in understanding the
perspectives of the two parties "more clearly".

"Pakistan has nothing to hide, in fact, we have been
very forthcoming on the quality of the work that has been done
by our experts in terms of investigations and the arrests
etcetra, and all that has been shared with India," he said.

"It is now, I believe, time that India recognises,
which they have, that Pakistan has done what was required,"
Bashir added.

During the nearly two-hour-long discussions, the Indian
side maintained that they want Pakistan to act speedily and in
a transparent manner against those responsible for the heinous
attack on 26/11 the Mumbai attacks. (MORE) PTI