Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary talks is not part of composite dialogue: Krishna

New Delhi, Feb 24 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Wednesday clarified that the meeting between India and Pakistan Foreign Secretaries is not a continuation of the Composite Dialogue Process which was suspended after 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

Replying to a question raised by Congress leader Manish Tewari in the Rajya Sabha, Krishna said: "The meeting of the Foreign Secretaries on February 25 is not a continuation of the Composite Dialogue Process. The proposed talks will focus essentially on India's core concerns regarding terrorism."

Foreign Secretary level talks between India and Pakistan are scheduled to be held in New Delhi on Thursday (Feb.25).

"It is Government's consistently expressed position that it is necessary to have an environment free of terror or threat of terror if relations between the two countries are to move forward concretely and meaningfully," Krishna said.

Reiterating India's demand to bring perpetrators of 26/11 terror attack to justice, Krishna said: "Government expects Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attack to justice, unravel the full conspiracy behind the attack, fulfil its commitment to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism and to deny sanctuary to all terrorist groups which operate from its soil."

"Enabling an effective channel of communication between India and Pakistan can assist in the discussion of such concerns and to highlight the seriousness we attach to the need for action by Pakistan against terrorism," he added.

On February 12, 2009 Pakistan acknowledged that the terrorist attack on Mumbai was planned and launched from Pakistan. In its dossier of July 11, 2009, Pakistan also acknowledged that substantial incriminating evidence had been unearthed which directly connects five accused Laskhkar -e-Taiba (LeT) operatives under Pakistani custody to the attacks in Mumbai and two more suspects were arrested later.

On November 25, 2009, the Pakistan Government reportedly filed a charge sheet in an Anti Terrorism Court in Pakistan against the seven suspects and 20 proclaimed offenders for their role in the terrorist attack on Mumbai. The trial in Pakistan is on going. (ANI)