ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday described talks on conventional
Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) with India in Islamabad positive as
the first-day dialogue between the two countries concluded in the
evening.
Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit told Online that
the discussion on CBMs between Pakistan and India held in an amicable
environment and its whole impression was positive.
The Spokesman
informed that the Monday talks focused on conventional CBMs and the
nuclear CBMs would be discussed today (Tuesday). He said, “Confidence
Building Measures on conventional arms are at the centre-stage of the
talks between the two sides.”
Experts’ level talks between
Pakistan and India on nuclear and conventional CBMs are aimed at taking
forward the composite dialogue process, he said while talking to a
private TV channel.
The spokesman said the way exchange of
information takes place with India before test firing of ballistic
missiles, Pakistan wants to exchange the information in the same fashion
in future as well.
Objective behind Joint Secretaries level
talks between Pakistan and India is to promote CBMs besides reviewing
such steps for peace and security in the region which are not
detrimental to the security of both the countries and they advance their
defence system in stable way, Basit said. However, he made it clear
that these talks have nothing to do with visas or other matters.
Commenting
on the nuclear talks when the Foreign Secretary had visited India in
June last year and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar during July last,
he said that a break of four years is enough much. "The need is there
that contacts should take place between the two countries and we have to
review where the confidence building measures are needed,” the
spokesman further said.
The two-day talks began in Islamabad on
Monday as part of the official dialogue process. This was the first
meeting of the Joint Working Group on nuclear and conventional CBMs in
over four years though other officials including the two Foreign
Secretaries have discussed these issues in recent meetings in Islamabad
and New Delhi.
Officials said that Munawar Saeed Bhatti,
Additional Secretary in the Foreign Office, was heading the Pakistan
delegation for both expert groups, the Foreign Ministry said, while
Joint Secretary in charge of Pakistan desk in the External Affairs
Ministry, YK Sinha, was heading a 10-member team on conventional CBMs.
They
will be followed by talks on nuclear CBMs, with Venkatesh Verma, Joint
Secretary in charge of disarmament in the External Affairs Ministry,
will be leading the Indian delegation.The Foreign Secretaries of the two
countries met in Islamabad in June 2011 where both sides agreed to
re-convene the two expert groups. These expert groups last met in New
Delhi in October 2007.
Among the issues that are expected to be
discussed at the upcoming meeting are CBMs related to Jammu and Kashmir
and missile tests and steps to boost cross-Line of Control trade and
travel, official sources said.
India and Pakistan resumed their
dialogue process early this year after a gap of over two years in the
wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks that was blamed on Pakistan-based
militant groups.
Sources said that the expert-level discussions
on conventional CBMs will focus on, among other things, implementing the
cross-Kashmir trade and travel CBMs that were unveiled during the talks
between foreign ministers in July.
The two sides are also
expected to discuss an agreement for removing weapons along the Line of
Control (LoC), which divides Pakistan and India in the disputed Kashmir
region, and exchange notes on their war doctrines.
Issues
relating to nuclear security and missile tests will also be discussed on
Tuesday when the two sides hold the sixth round of expert-level
discussions on nuclear CBMs, sources said.
The two sides are
expected to explore the possibilities of expanding the scope of nuclear
CBMs to include a pre-notification of cruise missile test launches.
This
is the fifth round of expert-level talks on conventional CBMs and the
sixth round of expert-level talks on nuclear CBMs. The talks are held
days before Pakistan and India will exchange the lists of their nuclear
installations and facilities on January 01 under "Agreement on the
Prohibition of Attack Against Nuclear Installations and Facilities".This
accord was signed on December 31, 1988, and both countries exchange the
list every year on January 1.
Pakistan and India resumed dialogue process in February this year that was stalled after the November 26, 2008, Mumbai attacks. Online
