India-Pakistan talks will continue

The sentence handed down to Pakistani national Ajmal Amir Qasab, will not affect the upcoming dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad, says Pakistan’s foreign minister.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, talking to PTV said on Friday that Islamabad will give its response on the sentencing of Qasab after Pakistani experts review the case in detail. He assured that the Indian court’s decision will not affect the forthcoming talks between the two foreign ministers.

He described the Mumbai attacks as a “very tragic incident” that should not have happened. He said he would contact his Indian counterpart S. M. Krishna this month to put forward two sets of dates for a meeting to work out modalities to continue talks between the two countries.

Qureshi acknowledged that “mistrust” has existed between the two nations for the past six decades, but said the priority is to push ahead to resolve the outstanding issues.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh agreed to resume the stalled peace process between their respective countries during a meeting on the sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit in Bhutan.