Terrorism will remain elephant in the room at Indo-Pak talks

Sticking to its usual stance even as Indian intelligence suggests that the new leader of Al Qaeda is likely to target India to shore up support in Pakistan, Islamabad confirmed that terrorism — of all things! — will not be on the agenda at the secretary-level talks scheduled for later this month. 

The focus? The disputed territory of Kashmir, peace and security, and the promotion of friendly exchanges, of course, reports India's Hindu newspaper.

Those of you questioning the wisdom of holding talks when the most important issue isn't up for discussion, be assured that India's terrorism worries amount to a “renewed fixation” with terrorism in the wake of the information that came out during the trial of Chicago businessman Tahawwur Rana, accused of helping David Coleman Headley in planning the Mumbai terror attack, according to Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua.

Rest assured, also, that Pakistan is in a “serious, substantive engagement mode” with India — as long as that substance doesn't include Rana, Headley, Ilyas Kashmiri, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Major Iqbal, or the Interservices Intelligence Directorate (ISI), of course.  And Islamabad is bound and determined not to be provoked into sending any kind of negative message to New Delhi through the media, the Hindu paraphrases Janjua as saying.