NEW DELHI, June 24: India and Pakistan will soon hold talks to restore the suspended aviation links, including New Delhi’s efforts to reacquire overflight clearances from Islamabad, officials from both sides said on Tuesday.

They said Pakistan’s acting high commissioner Munawwar Saeed Bhatti had met Indian foreign ministry officials, who apprised him about New Delhi’s desire to expedite technical level talks on aviation.

“This is a positive step, a good beginning,” said a Pakistani official. “We have set the ball rolling ...”

But there was no clear explanation from either side about what was hindering restoring the status quo ante, which seemed logical since it was India that had suspended overflights and cut off air links with Pakistan on Jan 1, 2002. Pakistan responded in kind later.

There has been some speculation that the problem pertains to the new sensitivities in Pakistan about Indian planes flying over a terrain where it is cooperating with the United States forces against Al Qaeda elements.

Earlier, Indian Civil Aviation Minister Shahnawaz Khan had said that air links with Kabul was a priority for India. Apparently this had not gone down too well with Pakistan, which was expecting restoration of the civil aviation links between the two countries rather than playing the role of a facilitator for India’s other interests.

Officials said the talks were likely to be concluded soon, possibly before Indian high commissioner-designate Mr Shiv Shanker Menon takes charge in Islamabad around mid-July while Pakistan’s new envoy, Mr Aziz Ahmad Khan, was expected to reach Delhi on June 30.

APP adds: The technical level discussions for the resumption of civil aviation links would be held on mutually agreed dates, as soon as Pakistan confirms its readiness to hold the meeting, sources were quoted as saying.