India releases 16 Pakistani prisoners, 9 fishermen to go Saturday

After the two back-to-back attacks in Gurdaspur and Udhampur, choices before India are stark: Carry on as before, launch tit-for-tat strikes, or turn our backs on Pakistan.

Speaking to a TV channel, Gul said, “We will have to see if he is from Pakistan, we will have to check his DNA”.

The situation in the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir is tense, with the armies and border forces of Pakistan and India exchanging fire for weeks, killing troops and civilians caught in the cross-fire on both sides of the Line of Control that serves as an undeclared border.

Usman, during interrogation, confessed to being a Pakistani national.

Mahajan made it clear that to ensure participation of the Speaker of Lok Sabha and those of Indian Assemblies, Jammu and Kashmir Speaker will have to be invited or the venue should be changed to some other country.

Pakistan Thursday said it is still waiting for additional information from India to conclude trial regarding the Mumbai attack.

Interviews with Indian and Pakistani officials show that the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought three wars since independence in 1947, are approaching the talks between top security officials on August. 23-24 in New Delhi with starkly different expectations.

Welcoming the decision Jammu and Kashmir Speaker Ravindra Gupta, who attended the meeting, thanked the Speakers for the decision saying it was a question of unity and integrity of the country. On ex-Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) chief Tariq Khosa’s recent article stating that the Mumbai attack mayhem was planned and launched from Pakistan, Khalilullah said, “I will not comment on views of an individual and related media reports”.

According to senior Pakistani diplomats privy to these developments, Pakistan wants a well-defined roadmap for sustained dialogue process to help resolve all outstanding issues with India, including the Kashmir issue, in the interest of lasting peace and stability in the region. “Australia and Canada have supported our move”, he said. “It also goes against the Commonwealth’s guiding principles of promotion of worldwide understanding, world peace and democratic governance”, he added.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Renewing the commitment to pluralism and inclusive democracy in the Commonwealth”.

As many as 53 Commonwealth countries, including India and Pakistan, constitute the CPA.

There have been other developments too which will do nothing to improve relations.