Indian, Pakistani officials begin peace talks

Jun 23, 2011, 11:17 GMT

Islamabad - Indian and Pakistani officials were meeting Thursday in Islamabad for confidence-building discussions, but no breakthroughs were expected for peace between the South Asian rivals.

'I have come to Pakistan with an open mind and a constructive spirit in order to work towards building trust and confidence in our relationship,' said Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, who was meeting with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir.

But no major breakthroughs were expected. The meeting comes ahead of talks between the foreign ministers of both countries in New Delhi next month.

'We are not hoping (for) any results here. What is important right now is that the two countries are discussing the issues that have strained their relations for decades,' said a Pakistani Foreign Ministry official.

The peace process between the nuclear-armed neighbours was derailed after the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, in which more than 160 people died. India blames the attack on the Pakistan-based militant group, Lashkar-e-Toiba.

Talks only resumed after a meeting between Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and India's Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in April in Nepal.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir is at the heart of the conflict between India and Pakistan, who have fought two wars over it since the partition of the sub-continent in 1947.

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