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Composite dialogue to be reviewed

Nirupama Subramanian

Pakistan announces release of 115 Indian fishermen ahead of Pranab Mukherjee's visit

— Photo: AFP

ON ROAD TO FREEDOM: Indian fishermen wave prior to their departure from a jail after their release by Pakistani authorities in Karachi on Tuesday.

ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan have stressed that the primary purpose of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit here this weekend is to invite President Pervez Musharraf for the SAARC summit. The Minister's first visit to Islamabad is also being viewed as a significant step in bilateral relations.

Mr. Mukherjee arrives on January 13 and will leave the next day. The last visit by an External Affairs Minister was in October 2005 during Natwar Singh's tenure.

Ahead of Mr. Mukherjee's visit, Pakistan announced the release of 115 Indian fishermen. The two sides exchanged prisoners in the last week of December 2006, but Mr. Mukherjee had expressed unhappiness that Pakistan freed only 70 prisoners although many more were eligible for release.

Bilateral issues

Officials said that while the visit was SAARC-related, bilateral issues would come up for discussion during Mr. Mukherjee's meeting with Gen. Musharraf. The Minister will discuss the peace process with Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said at the weekly briefing on Monday that Mr. Mukherjee's visit was significant because whenever the Foreign Ministers meet "they review bilateral relations, specifically the peace process that is taking place."

Ms. Aslam said the Ministers would review the third round of the composite dialogue process, and may provide guidelines for the fourth round, expected in late February or early March.

The meeting this weekend will be their first official interaction.

Major pacts unlikely

Officials here played down the expectations of any major announcements during Mr. Mukherjee's brief visit. They also said it was unlikely that the two sides would sign any agreements.

On reports that the two sides would sign four agreements, including on visa liberalisation and reduction of nuclear accidents, Ms. Aslam said while the content of some agreements had been "negotiated and settled" the signing of them was not certain.

"There are a number of agreements in the works. Some of them require completion of procedural approval and other requirements. If that happens by the time of the Indian Foreign Minister's visit, there can be a signing or an announcement, otherwise maybe at a later date. There's nothing definite about it."

However, the reiteration by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of his desire for a "treaty of peace, security and friendship" on Monday has added to the atmospherics of Mr. Mukherjee's visit.

"Vision for the future"

Officials on both sides said this was a "vision for the future." The spokeswoman added that it must await resolution of all issues between the two countries, including the "most important" issue of Kashmir. The countries were working at normalising their relations.

Still, the vision Dr. Singh conjured up of "breakfast in Amritsar, lunch in Lahore and dinner in Kabul" has provided an upbeat tone to Mr. Mukherjee's visit.

A dissenting note was, however, struck by Jamaat-e-Islami vice-president and senator, Khurshid Ahmed, who said Dr. Singh's talk of a treaty was a "trap" to sidetrack Pakistan from the Kashmir issue.

Mr. Ahmad said lunch and dinner were not a substitute for resolving the real issues, "... the issue is Kashmir and resolving all disputes on the basis of justice."

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