India rules out resumption of composite dialogue with Pak

A week ahead of the Indo-Pak foreign secretaries' meeting, India today said these parleys should not be "mistaken" for resumption of the composite dialogue as these were "exploratory" talks.

Asserting that the composite dialogue was "suspended", minister for external affairs SM Krishna said "let the nation not be under mistaken inference that composite dialogue is being renewed....The issue that we raised remained to be addressed by Pakistan with a degree of seriousness."

The foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan will meet on February 25 in New Delhi with the government here maintaining that the focus of the talks will be terrorism.

"These are exploratory talks. All that I am saying is that we are going to concentrate on terror which is emanating from Pakistan and the terror activities and terror infrastructure which is there which is yet to be dismantled.

"So our concern, our core concern is going to be terror," Krishna told TV channels.

On Jamaat-Ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed and other jehadi leaders freely addressing rallies against India, Krishna said, "It is the way Pakistan functions. The government perhaps is not capable of restraining these jehadis from continuing with their vituperative statements against India, showing their hostility openly against India."

The minister also emphasised the need to have talks, saying, "... in order to carry forward the core issue as far as India is concerned about terror and terror driven activities emanating from Pakistan, we thought that it is necessary to engage Pakistan in this very critical area of terror."