India and Pak have to work together to eliminate terrorism

ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan have to work together to eliminate terrorism and there cannot be a "segmented approach" in dealing with the scourge, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said here today.

Emerging from the first day of talks with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir at the Foreign Office here, Rao said, "Terrorism is related to peace and security in the region... We both have to work together to eliminate terrorism. There can be no segmented approach (in dealing with the problem)".

The two sides had been discussing measures to tackle terrorism in talks between their Home and Interior Secretaries, she told a small group of reporters.

Bashir said terrorism was as important an issue for Pakistan as "it could be to any other country".

Describing terrorism as a regional and global issue, he contended that the Lahore Declaration and a memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries in 1999 were very important as it contained a "shared vision for peace and security".

The MoU was "an ideal and important for moving forward", he said.

"The implementation of the MoU is the solution to issues pertaining to peace and security," Bashir added.

Both Foreign Secretaries expressed satisfaction with the first round of their discussions, which focused on peace and security, including confidence-building measures.

Rao described the talks as "constructive" and said she and Bashir had exchanged ideas in a "focused and professional manner".