Indo-Pak leaders to hold direct talks today
Thursday, 29 April 2010
THIMPHU, Apr 28 (AFP): The leaders of India and Pakistan will hold direct talks Thursday at a regional summit in Bhutan, as the rival nations inch their way towards resuming a dialogue frozen since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The meeting between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani will take place on the sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) gathering, an Indian foreign ministry spokesman said Wednesday.
He gave no indication as to how long the talks would last or what would be on the agenda.
The atmosphere ahead of the meeting was soured by India's announcement Tuesday that a female diplomat working at the Indian embassy in Islamabad had been arrested on suspicion of passing secrets to Pakistani intelligence.
Meanwhile, India's foreign minister said Wednesday a thorough investigation would establish why and how a female Indian diplomat posted in Islamabad had spied for rival Pakistan.
Junior diplomat Madhuri Gupta, who worked in the information service of the Indian embassy, was arrested by police last week after coming under suspicion.
Speaking in Bhutan, where he is attending a regional summit, Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna told reporters Gupta was facing a joint probe by the police and home ministry detectives.
"The investigations are going on and we will have to wait till it is complete and then we will find out what was the motive and what was the modus operandi," Krishna said.
He also said New Delhi was taking the issue seriously. "That is the reason why she was called back and she is now in police custody and that only shows the seriousness of the issues involved," Krishna said.
Gupta has been charged with breaching India's Official Secrets Act, an offence which carries a maximum jail sentence of 14 years.
A police officer told AFP the diplomat, who was hoping for a posting in the West after her stint in Pakistan, had been under surveillance for six months.
The meeting between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani will take place on the sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) gathering, an Indian foreign ministry spokesman said Wednesday.
He gave no indication as to how long the talks would last or what would be on the agenda.
The atmosphere ahead of the meeting was soured by India's announcement Tuesday that a female diplomat working at the Indian embassy in Islamabad had been arrested on suspicion of passing secrets to Pakistani intelligence.
Meanwhile, India's foreign minister said Wednesday a thorough investigation would establish why and how a female Indian diplomat posted in Islamabad had spied for rival Pakistan.
Junior diplomat Madhuri Gupta, who worked in the information service of the Indian embassy, was arrested by police last week after coming under suspicion.
Speaking in Bhutan, where he is attending a regional summit, Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna told reporters Gupta was facing a joint probe by the police and home ministry detectives.
"The investigations are going on and we will have to wait till it is complete and then we will find out what was the motive and what was the modus operandi," Krishna said.
He also said New Delhi was taking the issue seriously. "That is the reason why she was called back and she is now in police custody and that only shows the seriousness of the issues involved," Krishna said.
Gupta has been charged with breaching India's Official Secrets Act, an offence which carries a maximum jail sentence of 14 years.
A police officer told AFP the diplomat, who was hoping for a posting in the West after her stint in Pakistan, had been under surveillance for six months.