India, Pak peace talks begin today

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao will arrive here on Thursday to hold two rounds of talks on June 23 and 24 with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir to discuss peace and security, Jammu and Kashmir and promotion of friendly exchanges between the two countries.
The meeting between the two foreign secretaries is part of the resumption of dialogue process following meeting between Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh in Thimpu, Bhutan in April last year on the sidelines of the Saarc Summit.
According to the foreign office sources, there will two rounds of talks between the foreign secretaries. They will discuss peace and security related issues on June 23 while on June 24 they will focus on disputed Jammu and Kashmir issue.
The Indian Minister for External Affairs S.M. Krishna told reporters in New Delhi this week that talks between two foreign secretaries would narrow the trust deficit and pave the way for normalisation of relations.
The two foreign secretary meetings at Islamabad on June 23 and 24 is expected to review the results of the meetings between the home/interior, commerce and defence secretaries of the two countries held since the two foreign secretaries met at Thimphu on the margins of a Saarc meeting in last year.
It is expected that the two sides will also finalise the dates for the meeting of two foreign minister being held in New Delhi next month so that the progress made at the meetings of different secretary level talks could be reviewed for taking final decisions.
Meanwhile, an Indian official said on Wednesday that after many false starts, hopes were being kept deliberately low for the two days of talks. According to Indian media reports, the Indian government suggested not to make high expectation from today’s talks between the two arch-rival countries.
“We have realistic expectations,” an Indian government official said. “We should not expect quick and dramatic resolutions.” He added. Though both sides do not expect major results and disagree on Kashmir and terrorism, sources in the government repose faith in a sustained dialogue process to narrow the trust deficit and build an understanding to resolve issues of discord, TV said quoting Indian official.