'US nudging forced Pak to accept India's overtures'

New Delhi, Feb.13 (ANI): Pakistan's acceptance of India's offer to resume the foreign secretary level talks coincided with National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama General James Jones arrival in Islamabad, and analysts believe that it was due to Washington's pressure that Pakistan accepted New Delhi's overtures.

According B.Raman, former Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India, the US nudging before and during General Jones' visit influenced Pakistan to accept the Indian-proposed format 'without making a prestige issue of it.'

Raman quoted sources as saying that during his meeting with Pakistani leadership General Jones expressed confidence that the proposed meeting of the two Foreign Secretaries would not be a stand-alone or one-shot affair, but would 'mark the beginning of the process for the de jure resumption of the composite dialogue.'

He said the Obama administration is content with encouraging a resumption of stalled talks between India and Pakistan for the time being.

According to Raman, who presently is the Director, Institute For Topical Studies in Chennai, the US would assert itself more in the coming months.

"Its medium-term objective of persuading or even pressuring India to address Pakistani views relating to Kashmir and concerns relating to Afghanistan is likely to assert itself more and more as 2011 approaches. The Obama Administration is more interested in addressing Pakistani concerns relating to India than Indian concerns relating to Pakistan," he said. (ANI)