Indian and Pakistani foreign ministry officials met on
Tuesday to review the peace process that has been held up because of the
internal political tensions that burst in Pakistan last year. Both countries
intend to continue the dialogue that began four years ago under former military
strongman, President Pervez Musharraf.
Some of the discussions’ topic were the Kashmir
territory, border disputes, terrorism and economic cooperation.
This meeting will be followed on Wednesday by talks between Indian
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Pakistani counterpart, Shah
Mehmood Qureshi.
Although Indian authorities didn’t accuse Pakistan of
involving in the attack that took place in Jaipur last week, it has done so in the
past, almost each time the country was assailed. This might brood over
the negotiations. However, Pakistan's
Home Ministry announced Tuesday it would release 96 Indian fishermen and three
Indian civil prisoners in its custody, as a sign of goodwill, according to the Associated
Press.
Despite the promising start of the talks, it is not yet
clear what the two countries will decide about the Muslim-majority region they
both claim. The fights on their Kashmir border
this month somehow mirror the real state of the ties.
The two-day discussions have gained relevance with a new
coalition government in Islamabad,
which took its oath in late March after political allies of President Pervez
Musharraf were defeated in the February 18 elections.
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