Krishna may meet Qureshi in Thimphu

NEW DELHI: Foreign minister, S M Krishna, may have a "pull-aside" meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in Thimphu on the sidelines of a Saarc foreign ministers' meeting.

Sources said the meeting could happen on February 8 after a meeting of top officials. The foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan — Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir — are scheduled to meet on February 6-7. This will be a first meeting, where the two sides will have a structured official exchange after the disastrous meeting in Islamabad in July, 2010. The addition of the foreign ministers' meeting, even if it is an informal "pull-aside", is significant. Among other things, the meeting could set the ground rules for a forthcoming visit to India by Qureshi over the next couple of months.

Indo-Pak peace process has been stalled after the Islamabad meeting, where Pakistan turned away from an already agreed agenda by demanding discussions on all outstanding issues, including Kashmir that India wasn't willing to do. India's emphasis on terrorism did not go down well with Pakistan either. So, the meeting ended without any agreement or a way forward. Qureshi's invitation to India remained and this is seen as a way out of the diplomatic impasse. Meanwhile, Pakistan has many more troubles on its plate. While, Manmohan Singh and his beleaguered government are battling their own devils.

Pakistan has persisted with its demand that discussions with India should cover all issues, including Kashmir. India is still uncomfortable with that. But India's insistence on terrorism as a prime topic of discussion will be countered by Pakistan asking for information on the Samjhauta Express investigations. India has refused to give that just yet. Krishna recently said terrorism had prime place in any discussion with Pakistan. While there has been some international pressure on India to resume dialogue with Pakistan, Delhi is not quite sure where the all-important Pakistan army stands on this issue.