ISLAMABAD, June 29: President Gen Pervez Musharraf was given a detailed briefing on Tuesday on the recently-concluded talks with India by Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar who led the Pakistani side.
During the 90-minute or so briefing at the Aiwan-i-Sadr in the afternoon, the foreign secretary conveyed to President Musharraf a verbal message of 'goodwill' that Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had sent for him.
According to informed sources, the subtext of the message was that the new Indian government would pursue these talks in all sincerity and would discuss all issues including Jammu and Kashmir in a serious and sustained manner.
There was no invitation from the top Indian leadership for President Musharraf to visit India, it is learnt. Mr Khokhar, who was assisted by senior members of his delegation, including Additional Secretary Salman Bashir, Director-General South Asia Jalil Abbas Jilani and Foreign Office Spokesman Masood Khan, shared with the president all that transpired behind-the-scene at the two-day talks on peace and security and the Kashmir issue, the sources said.
Mr Khokhar also gave a feedback on his meetings with the new Indian prime minister and External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and National Security Adviser J.N. Dixit.
OUR REPORTER ADDS: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday expressed satisfaction over the foreign secretary level talks held in New Delhi. According to a Press release issued here on Tuesday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the president underlined that this process of engagement should be sustained in order to make the composite dialogue result oriented. "It is a good beginning," the president said.
Earlier, Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar briefed the President about the two-day foreign secretary level talks which concluded in New Delhi on Monday. He also briefed the President about his meetings with Indian prime minister, the foreign minister and national security adviser.
