NEW DELHI India's envoy in Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal has met the ISI chief Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha among other senior officials in Islamabad to try to revive the stalled peace talks, the main obstacle being alleged Pakistani fingerprints on cross-border terrorism, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said.
Dr Singh said it was not his intention to hurt President Asif Ali Zardari by raising the issue of terrorism with him before the media in Russia. He said there were difficulties in the quest of peace.
'But I have not given up hope. Let me say that what I had said to Zardari Sahib, I had not intended to say that in the presence of all the media. I simply forgot that the media were present there. It was not my intention in anyway to hurt Zardari Sahib's feelings.'
The revelation about the meeting with the ISI chief came in the course of Dr Singh's interaction with the media on his way back from the G8 summit in Rome on Friday night.
It may be recalled that there was considerable commotion on both sides in the wake of the November terror attacks in Mumbai when some reports said that India had 'summoned' the ISI chief to New Delhi, a phrase that was not liked by anyone in Pakistan. That rendezvous never happened.
Dr Singh spoke in general terms in Urdu about the unusual meeting but did not indicate when it took place. He was commenting on a question about the work done by both sides to prepare for the prime ministerial encounter in Egypt on July 16.
He said following his meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari in Russia, Mr Sabharwal had met several senior officials, including the ISI chief.
The two sides discussed their progress towards the Mumbai terror trial and eventual punishment to those involved.
Dr Singh said he was hopeful of progress from Pakistan and this would be taken up with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. He said he had used the opportunity in Rome to explain to the leaders of G5 and G8 to press Pakistan to abandon the path of terrorism and walk with India in friendship.
'I have often said India and Pakistan are close neighbours, we can choose our friends but we have no choice with regard to our neighbours. I have always believed that for India to realise its development ambitions, to realise its place in the comity of nations, requires to work with its neighbours to bring about peace and amity in South Asia. And we will do all that is necessary to resolve all outstanding issues that have bedevilled India's relations with Pakistan. But it requires credible action on the part of Pakistan to deal with terrorist elements directing their energy to disrupt and destabilise our economy and polity,' Dr Singh said.
'I do hope that out of that meeting (with Mr Gilani) we will have a renewed reaffirmation on the part of Pakistan that they will bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai massacre to justice, that they will not allow Pakistani territory to be used for terrorist acts directed against our country. If they do that we are willing to walk more than half the distance to normalise our relations.'
