Top Indian and Pakistani foreign ministry officials met on Tuesday to review their four-year-old peace process that has stalled since domestic political turmoil erupted in Pakistan last year. The nuclear-armed rivals' foreign secretaries' meeting will be followed on Wednesday by talks between Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi. It is the first contact India has had with leaders of a new Pakistani civilian government and analysts in both Pakistan and India said Mukherjee will be sounding out Pakistan's new leaders. Mukherjee said upon arrival that Pakistan's new democratic environment held great promise and he hoped progress the two countries had made would be consolidated, though that depended on an atmosphere free from militant violence. “The present environment, I'm sure, will help us in addressing various issues related to peace, stability and economic development,” he said. The officials discussed a so-called composite dialogue which covers eight areas including the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir, border disputes, terrorism and economic cooperation. No major breakthroughs are expected on their main dispute over Kashmir, but Pakistani analysts hope the talks might set the stage for a visit by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Pakistan said it was releasing nearly 100 Indians in its custody, most of them fishermen, as a goodwill gesture. Both country's fishermen frequently stray into each others' territory. The neighbors launched peace efforts in 2004 after nearly going to war a fourth time over Islamist militant attacks in India linked to a nearly 20-year revolt against Indian rule in Kashmir which Pakistan supports, at least politically.
