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| India's Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao (L) shakes hands with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir before their meeting in New Delhi February 25, 2010. The top diplomats of India and Pakistan began on Thursday their first official talks since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, but hopes of progress remain limited as the rival neighbours seek to end a diplomatic freeze. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) |
NEW DELHI, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The much awaited India-Pakistan talks, the first after the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, began here Thursday with both sides preferring to take a cautious yet optimistic approach towards the agenda and the outcome of the engagement, said official sources here.
Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir met at the historic Hyderabad House, the venue of the official diplomatic talks, and exchanged pleasantries and posed for the cameras before heading in for the talks.
"We look forward to our talks," Rao told reporters outside Hyderabad House. "Hyderabad House is a familiar venue. We look forward to a very, good constructive arrangement," a smiling Bashir added.
Besides Rao, the Indian team included India's High Commissioner to Islamabad Sharat Sabharwal, joint secretary in charge of Pakistan Y.K. Sinha, ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vishnu Prakash and other officials of the MEA.
The Pakistani delegation comprised Afrasiab, director-general of the South Asia division and a former deputy high commissioner to India, Pakistan's High Commissioner Shahid Malik, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit and other senior officials.
India has been stressing the centrality of terrorism as the agenda for talks, according to Indian official sources.
But the Pakistani side has said that it wants to have a discussion on all relevant issues affecting the two countries, including Kashmir and the water dispute.
