External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha today conveyed to US Secretary of State Colin Powell that while New Delhi has initiated a process of normalising bilateral relations with Pakistan, the onus also lies on Islamabad to ensure that this re-engagement is not disrupted by terrorist attacks.Sinha, who spent an hour with Powell at Moscow today, is said to have dwelt at length on the reasoning behind New Delhi’s decision to adopt a cautious step-by-step approach. According to an MEA spokesperson, Washington accepted the ‘‘validity’’ of such an approach and agreed it was the best way to achieve successful re-engagement between India and Pakistan.Sinha told Powell putting an end to cross-border terrorism was a ‘‘practical necessity’’ as far as New Delhi was concerned. Both leaders discussed the visits by Principal Secretary to the PM Brajesh Mishra to the US as well and that by US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to the subcontinent. Speaking to mediapersons later, Sinha denied the US played a role in the process of normalisation of Indo-Pak relations. ‘‘There is a talk about US role in Indo-Pak relations. In this meeting there were no suggestions from the American side.’’ Sinha is in Moscow to co-chair a meeting of the Indo-Russian Inter Governmental Commission while Powell is there on a bilateral visit.
