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Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Indian PM isolated on Pakistan: WikiLeaksNEW DELHI: The United States (US) judged that Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, was isolated within his own government over pushing for resumed talks with Pakistan, cables obtained by WikiLeaks revealed on Tuesday.
India and Pakistan suspended talks in 2008 after gunmen killed 166 people in Mumbai, and only agreed last month to resume dialogue.
In August 2009, diplomatic cable published by The Hindu newspaper quoted US ambassador Timothy Roemer as saying that Singh was “more isolated than we had thought.”
The prime minister said earlier this month that he would approach new peace talks with an ‘open mind’. “We wish to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries, including Kashmir, through friendly dialogue,” he said.
Pakistan’s recently appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, is scheduled to visit her Indian counterpart, SM Krishna, in New Delhi in July at the start of the full-scale talks.
India and Pakistan started a formal peace dialogue in 2004, continuing until the rupture caused by the Mumbai attacks.
Opposition MPs in parliament attacked the government over cables sent by the US embassy to Washington in 2006 which reported on the ‘undeniable pro-American tilt’ of the cabinet shuffle
The nuclear-armed countries have fought three wars since the subcontinent was partitioned in 1947 and relations have been plagued by border disputes. afp
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk