The first official talks between India and Pakistan since the 2008 Mumbai attacks ended Thursday with only an agreement to “keep in touch”, signaling that relations between the nuclear-armed rivals remain frosty. The meeting also marks a tiny step in improving the outlook for stability in Afghanistan, where India and Pakistan have long battled for influence, complicating regional security. But many obstacles remain. The two nations' top diplomats met in a former princely palace in a heavily guarded New Delhi neighborhood and agreed to “remain in touch” to build trust with each other. “We went into today's talks with an open mind but fully conscious of the limitations imposed by the large trust deficit between the two countries,” Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said after talks with her Pakistani counterpart, Salman Bashir. “In line with our graduated and step by step approach, our aims were modest.” Neither diplomat said if there would be a next round of talks, though the prime ministers of the two countries have an opportunity to meet at a regional summit in Bhutan in April. “We have set out to take a first step toward rebuilding trust,” Rao told reporters. No issues were resolved in the meeting, which India billed only as “talks about talks.” But just meeting after 15 months to reduce tensions was seen as an important achievement that could help Pakistan concentrate its resources on supporting the US in its fight against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Rao said she reiterated to Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir that his country must do more to dismantle terror networks and gave him dossiers on those linked to the Mumbai attacks, an Al-Qaeda militant who has issued threats against India, and Indian fugitives hiding in Pakistan. Pakistan is trying seven men on charges they planned and carried out the Mumbai attacks, which led to the deaths of 166 people, but the militant network blamed for the assault continues to operate relatively freely in the Pakistani city of Lahore. Pakistan used the meeting to raise broader issues including the dispute over Kashmir, allegations that India is aiding militants in the Pakistani province of Balochistan and a conflict over shared water resources, Rao said. Pakistan says India is unfairly diverting its waters with the upstream construction of barrages and dams, a charge India denies. India also called on Pakistan to investigate reported claims of responsibility for the bombing of a cafe in the city of Pune two weeks ago, she said. There was no immediate comment from Pakistani officials, who were to hold a news conference later Thursday. “One cannot be dismissive of the Kashmir issue and any effort to be dismissive of this issue will not be healthy,” Bashir told reporters. India is convinced that “we must not shut the door on dialogue with Pakistan and that such dialogue, if it gathers momentum, holds tremendous potential for the progress and well being of the people of our region,” she said.
