PM asked Zardari to curb terror: Krishna

India said that diplomatic channels would be used to make substantive preparations for a visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Pakistan.

India on Wednesday said that diplomatic channels would be used to make substantive preparations for a visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Pakistan. This is a reiteration of New Delhis position that Singh will visit Islamabad only if it yields a substantive outcome.

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told the Lok Sabha in a suo motu statement,President (Asif Ali) Zardari invited the Prime Minister to visit Pakistan. Prime Minister accepted the invitation with pleasure and said that he would be happy to visit at an appropriate time. The diplomatic channels will be used to work out mutually acceptable dates and substantive preparations for that visit.

Briefing Parliament on Zardaris private visit early this month when he had a 40-minute meeting with Singh,Krishna said the Prime Minister mentioned Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeeds activities in public and conveyed that if people of India were to support and sustain progress in relations between the two countries,then New Delhis concerns needed to be addressed.

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Prime Minister told President Zardari that there is a need for taking firm action to curb terrorism to enable us to make forward movement in the bilateral relationship. He conveyed that it was imperative to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack to justice,and prevent activities aimed against India from Pakistani soil. In this context,he also mentioned the activities of Hafiz Saeed carried out in public, Krishna told the Lok Sabha.

It would be evident that our concerns on terrorism had to be addressed if the people of India are to support and sustain progress in bilateral relations. President Zardari referred to judicial processes against Saeed and said the matter needed to be discussed further between the two governments. It was noted that the Home Secretaries are due to meet shortly and they would be discussing this issue further, he said.

Giving details of the April 8 meeting between the two leaders,Krishna said both felt that we need to move forward step-by-step and find pragmatic and mutually acceptable solutions to issues like Sir Creek,Siachen and Kashmir. They noted that there has been a steady progress in bilateral dialogue process which resumed last year and that it will continue as planned in the months to come,he said.

Without directly mentioning Afghanistan,Krishna said,The two leaders also discussed developments in the region. He said that the two leaders agreed to use the potential of regional cooperation for the economic development of people of both countries.

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It was clear from the conversation that both countries consider the dialogue process and the improvement of bilateral relations as being in the mutual interest of the people of India and Pakistan, he said.

The Prime Minister also expressed appreciation of the fact that Pakistan has moved forward on trade-related issues,Krishna said.